bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-level perspective analysis ofthe automobility regime: opportunity for new mobility concepts
Authors:   , Yingsom Chattraporn
Published: September 2023

The car-dominated transport system, known as automobility, poses significant sustainability challenges. Shifting from car ownership to access-based services, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), is crucial. However, in developing countries like Thailand where car dominance prevails, achieving widespread adoption of new mobility concepts requires substantial changes in socio-technical regimes.

This study addressed these gaps by analyzing the automobility regime and adoption of new mobility concepts in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR). An exploratory research designs using qualitative approach were adopted. A comprehensive review of related literature and secondary data analysis, combined with in-depth interviews of stakeholders (N = 31), were conducted using a thematic analysis to identify dynamics in the existing regime. A semi-structure interview with commuters (N = 35) was also conducted to investigate factors that impact commuters’ decision about using MaaS.

The findings indicate that certain landscape developments support the prevailing car-centric transportation system, strengthening the mechanisms that maintain the status quo. However, the study also identified landscape dynamics that challenge the existing regime, as well as mechanisms that can potentially disrupt it. The study discusses interventions to leverage these mechanisms, encouraging the shift away from private vehicle ownership and promoting new mobility concepts. These interventions include making private car usage more difficult, forming influencer partnerships, revising industry promotion policies, and prioritizing the attractiveness of public transport. Additionally, key beliefs influencing MaaS adoption were also identified and categorized into platform functions, ease of service, perceived benefits, additional factors, and social factors.

To ensure the successful and sustainable implementation of MaaS in the BMR, a comprehensive roadmap was also proposed, involving short-term initiatives such as pedestrianizing city centers and incentives for early adopters, mid-term soft launches in designated areas, and long-term campaigns to popularize MaaS. By addressing challenges and seizing opportunities, this roadmap aims to achieve a transformative shift towards sustainable transportation in the BMR.

In conclusion, there is an opportunity to drive a shift towards new mobility concepts and steer the current automobility regime towards a more sustainable transportation system. However, achieving this transition will be challenging and require significant policy interventions.
Accrual-based earnings management and real earnings management around two key corporate governance regulatory regime changes in Thailand
Authors:   , Farhan Noor
Published: September 2023

Two major corporate governance-related regulatory changes, one in 1999 and one in 2008, were implemented as a means to increase the independence of boards of directors of public companies in Thailand.  I study whether each of these regulatory changes affects the degree of and leads to substitution of accrual-based earnings management (AEM) and real earnings management (REM), plus the effect of family ownership on the type and degree of earning management.  The outcomes of the two regulatory changes are different with respect to earnings management.  Univariate tests suggest no change in the levels of AEM and REM for the 1999 change.  However, for the 2008 change, AEM decreases and REM increases, suggesting firms substitute between AEM and REM.  Regression results suggests complementary relationship for regulatory change in 1999, however the results are not robust. Results for the 2008 regulatory change however provide robust evidence of a complementary relationship.  The results are similar for firms with higher ownership concentration.
Simulation study on co2 enhanced oil recovery for offshore area in Thailand
Authors:   , Wongsriraksa Pariwat
Published: September 2023

Fossil fuels are widely used all over the world. It generates carbon dioxide (CO2) which is one of the main causes for climate change and global warming. One practical technology to reduce CO2 emission is carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) which includes the use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) and storage in the geological reservoir. In Thailand, there are some potential geological reservoirs for CO2EOR due to crude properties, depth of the reservoir and oil saturation, especially in the Gulf of Thailand. However, the high temperatures gradient in the Gulf of Thailand can lead to higher minimum miscibility pressure (MMP). Consequently, this study becomes partial CO2 miscible process. Previous studies on this issue in Thailand are rarely available and it becomes more difficult to determine appropriates parameters including injection rate and operating pressure for the CO2EOR processes. This study aims to evaluate the possibility of CO2EOR in the presuming light oil reservoir in the offshore area by applying the real data from the area, a 3-D heterogeneous reservoir model is created and used in the CO2EOR simulations. This study uses two CO2EOR technologies which are CO2 flooding and water alternating gas (WAG) within 24 years of production. The fracture pressure is calculated and considered to prevent the reservoir fracture whilst injecting displacing fluid. The two main parameters studied are the injection rate and operating pressure.

The results present that WAG method with the highest injection rate of both CO2 at 0.8 MMSCF/day and water at 500 STB/day as well as operating pressure at 90% of fracture pressure can produce oil with the highest recovery factor at 48.1% and total oil production at 550,497 STB. However, the highest total oil production comes with the high amount of produced water. On the other hands, CO2 flooding with the highest CO2 injection rate at 0.8 MMSCF/day and the highest operating pressure at 90% of fracture pressure produces oil with lower recovery factor at 43.1% and total oil production at 492,893 STB but the produced water declines along with the production rate. Lastly, although this study area has high temperature which causes the process to be partially CO2 miscible, the results of the study can contribute to utilize CO2 from the source for more oil production and to store carbon for the potential site to reach Thailand's carbon neutrality in the future.
Physical property measurement of surfactant coupled with nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery
Authors:   , Nandar Phoo
Published: September 2023

The residual oil remained in the reservoir after the primary recovery and water flooding can either be produced by increasing the mobility of the oil or by altering the reservoir rock wetting behavior and diminishing the oil water interfacial tension. The surfactant flooding is one of the chemical enhanced oil recovery methods. At the optimal concentration, the surfactant flooding can provide the low interfacial tension favoring to the enhanced oil recovery. In contrast, the loss of the surfactant at the solid-liquid interface due to an adsorption lessens the amount of the surfactant required for oil displacement during the flooding. Therefore, the silica nanoparticles are used to enhance the surfactant EOR process in minimizing the surfactant adsorption which also results in the wettability alteration. In this study, the behavior of the interfacial tension between oil and different interfaces at the reservoir conditions are observed. From the results, IFT is greatly affected by the surfactant concentration, the presence of the nanoparticles in the surfactant solution, temperature and salinity. At the end, the desired low interfacial tension is achieved when 750 ppm by weight of nanoparticles are used with 2000 ppm concentration of the surfactant in the low salinity of 750 ppm brine solution.

In addition, the physical properties such as densities of each combination of chemicals and viscosities of oil samples acquired from northern Thailand oilfield are measured with and without the surfactant solutions and the silica nanoparticles assisted the surfactant solutions at the different concentration. From the experiments, the anionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) are used according to the lower adsorption in the sandstones compared to the cationic surfactants. From the results, the static adsorption behavior of the surfactant at the interface with the reservoir rock from the northern Thailand oilfield is studied and the nano silica can indeed reduce the adsorption of the surfactant by being adsorbed at the rock surface itself and the wettability is also changed consecutively. However, the sacrificial adsorption of the nanoparticles become effective when the surfactant concentration beyond the critical micelle concentration is used. In comparison of two anionic surfactant, SDBS shows the higher adsorption on the rock sample rather than that of SDS.

In conclusion, from the study of the physical property measurement, adding the nano silica to the surfactant solutions enhances the important parameters of EOR. The IFT can be reduced. Also, the surfactant adsorption can be lowered if concentration above CMC is used. Also, the nano silica can provide the effective contact angle reduction and support the oil recovery for the surfactant flooding.
Intention to obtain silver diamine fluoride treatment for dental caries among elderly
Authors:   , Nakphu Ratchawipa
Published: September 2023

Aims: To evaluate the intention of the elders to use the Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) treatment for stopping dental caries progression after being informed
Materials and Methods: The elders aged 60-90 years old who are independent and can read Thai were recruited. A questionnaire-guided interview was performed to the elders after introduction of the SDF treatment. The questionnaire-guided interview was guided by the Theory of Reason Action (TRA) composed of 23 questions of 7 constructs including behavioral belief, evaluation of behavioral outcome, normative belief, motivation to comply, attitude towards behavior, subjective norm and intention.  The intention to do the SDf treatment was use to indicate SDF acceptance or SDF unacceptance. Socio-demographic data and TRA variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 588 participants with a mean (standard deviation) age of 65.3 (5.53) years were recruited. About 52.7% and 58.1% of the participant were females, and unemployed/retired, respectively.  Most of the participants (80.8%) stayed with family. Most participants (63.4%, 62.9% and 63.6%) had less than a sixth-grade education, had a monthly family income of less than 10,000 Baht and had underlying diseases. 82.5% of the participant indicated the intention to do the SDF treatment. The average (standard deviation) of the intention score was 2.14 (0.54). The statistically significant factors associated with intention to do the SDF treatment are age (P=0.021), family income (P < 0.001), having underlying disease (P < 0.001), dental problem (P < 0.001) and afraid of going to see the dentist (P < 0.001). Scores of the intention was resembled to the scores of others TRA variables except Motivation to comply and Normative belief.
Conclusion: Most (82.5%)Thai elderly indicated they intended to use of SDF treatment for arresting dental caries. The different intention depended on different characteristics such as age, family income, having underlying disease, having dental problems, and afraid of going to see the dentist (P < 0.001).
Comparative analysis of mutational landscapes identified from exome sequencing of tumor tissues and circulating tumor DNA
Authors:   , Leenanitikul Julanee
Published: September 2023

Next-generation sequencing of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has been used as a noninvasive alternative for cancer diagnosis and characterization of tumor mutational landscape. However, low ctDNA fraction and other factors can limit the ability of ctDNA analysis to capture tumor-specific and actionable variants. In this study, whole-exome sequencings (WES) were performed on paired ctDNA and tumor biopsy in 15 cancer patients to assess the extent of concordance between mutational profiles derived from the two source materials. We found that up to 16.4% ctDNA fraction can still be insufficient for detecting tumor-specific variants and that high concordance with tumor biopsy is achieved when ctDNA fraction is 30% or higher. Most importantly, ctDNA analysis can consistently capture tumor heterogeneity and detect key cancer-related genes even in a patient with both primary and metastatic tumors.
Analyzing impact of economic indicators on Vietnam stock market with machine learning techniques
Authors:   , Sangsawai Nuttawan
Published: September 2023

The study provides an analysis of the Vietnamese stock market using statistical and machine learning models. The dataset shows that all features have a positive linear relationship with the VN Index, but exhibit different scales and degrees of skewness. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root test was conducted to identify whether the variables were stationary or non-stationary, and most variables were transformed into stationary data through first differencing. The OLS method was used to construct a short run model, and the results indicated that only three variables, namely CPI, exchange rate, and S&P500 index, exhibited statistical significance. The ARDL Bound test was conducted, and the results indicated that there is a long-run relationship between the variables under consideration, and the results indicated that only three variables, namely CPI, GDP, and S&P500 index, exhibited statistical significance. The decision tree, random forest, and XGBoost models were used to study short and long run relationships. The findings suggest that the random forest model performed the best in the short run, while the XGBoost model performed the best in the long run. The three statistically significant variables of both OLS and ARDL were ranked as the top-three influential variables on Random Forest and XGBoost, respectively.
Unpacking gender inequality for inclusive development: a case study of Myanmar female migrant workers in Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand
Authors:   , Htun Hsan
Published: September 2023

The study aims to address the issue of gender inequality in Thailand's seafood industry, with a specific focus on Myanmar female migrant workers in Mahachai (Samut Sakhon province). Although women migrant workers play a significant role in Thailand's economy, they have been facing various challenges in low-wage industries. Gender inequality remains a prominent concern in these low-skilled labor-intensive workplaces like seafood industry. While there have been studies on migration that include both men and women or focus solely on women, gender has not received sufficient emphasis in understanding the experiences of female migrant workers, particularly in the seafood industry. This research aims to fill this gap by examining the prevalent features of gender inequality in the working and living conditions of Myanmar female migrant workers in the seafood industry by applying the intersectionality theory. The research adopts a case-study qualitative approach, by collecting primary and secondary data. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews are conducted with 10 Myanmar female migrant workers from the seafood industry, both within and outside formal factory settings as well as 2 civil society organization members from the labour network called Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN). By using content analysis and presenting unique case studies of female migrant workers, the study finds that Myanmar female migrant workers in the seafood industry, face gender discrimination and gender inequality based on multiple intersecting factors such as gender, migration status, marital status, ethnicity that relates to intersectionality. Gender inequality and discrimination features are more prevalent when migration status is added in the intersection of gender and marital status in the seafood industry. The findings of this research will serve as a valuable resource for development experts and non-governmental actors to develop gender-responsive strategies and to promote the role of women migrant workers in Thailand's industrial growth.
Hallyu’s media hybridization: a case study of a Korean series remake for Thai audiences
Authors:   , Nimitphuwanai Nutchapon
Published: September 2023

Korean culture has currently spread to many countries and benefited both the economy and society, but it also has the potential to integrate with those cultures. Hallyu is centered to the export of cultural products in order to further the spread of its culture throughout the world. Thailand is one of the countries that has been influenced by Hallyu, and the impact on Thai television has not exemplified cultural imperialism but hybridization. Hallyu, on the other hand, is not a single direction, but a composite of mixed and local reconstructions. Korean media imports are also incorporated into the local. Certain media companies have begun purchasing the copy rights to popular South Korean dramas. They have been adapted to incorporate elements of Thai culture. The entire cast is Thai, as is the setting, which includes changing the character's name and numerous locations in the plot to Thai. And all of the storylines are told in Thai. Additionally, while Hallyu in Thai media has faded away in favor of original TV Series, the Korean wave continues to thrive and blend in through hybrid media and other channels.
Analyzing two opposing opinions from social media through static and contextualized word embeddings
Authors:   , Sarakul Wassakorn
Published: September 2023

Public opinion analysis plays a vital role in various domains, such as marketing and politics. With the increasing volume of text data available through the internet and social media, efficient text-based analysis methods have become crucial. This study explores the application of static and contextualized word embeddings in word-based opinion analysis. The research questions focus on the impact of pre-training on static word embeddings, the efficacy of static and contextualized word embeddings in delineating opposing opinions, and the behavioral differences between the two embedding types. The findings suggest that pre-training improves embedding quality in small-sized datasets but may introduce noise in large-sized datasets. Additionally, word-based opinion analysis is more suitable for large-sized datasets, with un-pre-trained static word embeddings demonstrating superior performance. Static word embeddings are preferred over contextualized word embeddings due to their ability to capture syntactical relationships, while contextualized word embeddings provide semantic-related similar words. To apply both embedding types effectively, the study recommends using contextualized sequence embedding to predict the corpus, training word2vec on the predicted corpus, and analyzing the corpus based on the most similar words from the word2vec model.
Simulation and prototyping of a knee assistive device for improved gait function
Authors:   , Pornpipatsakul Khemwutta
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to develop a knee-assistive device while walking. The research was separated into two sections: the gait support simulation in MATLAB and the prototype of the device. Data on body part positions and ground reaction force were collected from three adult Thai participants walking at a speed of 1.5 m/s to calculate knee moment. The simulation section provides support moments during walking using machine learning and artificial stiffness control strategy (MLASCS), composed of the kNN model and the instantaneous artificial stiffness per body mass (IASPB) equations. The MLASCS was used to determine the proper amount of support moment required to assist walking, and its validation via the recorded data showed that it could reduce the total effort by up to 63.4%. In the prototype section, the posterior-support device was designed using a 3D printing filament and tested for durability. The control system used an actuator replicated from an MIT mini-cheetah servo motor that commanded various parameters such as angular, angular velocity, angular stiffness, angular damping coefficient, and angular moment and provided feedback in the form of angular angular velocity and angular moment. Due to a significant increase in delay time when connecting the microcontroller to the device, the sets of the if-else function called a state classifier combined with the IASPB equations were selected as the control system instead of the MLASCS. Efficiency testing was conducted using electromyography (EMG) sensors, which revealed mixed results that the device was sometimes helpful and sometimes not helpful. These may be due to an imperfect gait cycle, motor command delays, and misalignment of the device, indicating that further data collection and validation with more samples is necessary to verify the device's usefulness.
Study of thermodynamic binding between ader and ades in two-component antibiotic sensor of antibiotic resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors:   , Thananon Konrawee
Published: September 2023

The proteins AdeR (response regulator) and AdeS (histidine kinase sensor) play a crucial role in regulating the efflux pump, which is responsible for removing antibiotics from bacterial cells. This regulation occurs through a two-component regulatory system (TCS) involving autophosphorylation. Upon receiving external signals, AdeS undergoes autophosphorylation, leading to the activation of AdeR, which in turn initiates the expression of target genes related to the efflux pump. In this study, both enzymes from the reference strain of Acinetobacter baumannii (ATCC19606) and antibiotic resistant strains (H1074 and G560) were cloned and expressed in E. coli. The enzymes were purified using an immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) column, utilizing a C-terminal His-tag. To investigate the interaction characteristics between the antibiotic resistant strains and the reference strain, several procedures were employed, including electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and enzymatic activity assay. The EMSA results demonstrated that both the reference and antibiotic resistant strains were capable of binding to the intercistronic DNA. The FRET analysis indicated that the mixing of AdeR labeled with Cy3 and AdeS labeled with Cy5 exhibited a higher intensity at 485 nm compared to the mixing of Cy3 and Cy5 alone. However, no FRET signal indicating binding between the donor and acceptor was detected. Moreover, the ITC results did not detect any binding between AdeR and DNA or between AdeR and AdeS. The enzymatic activity assay found that AdeS has kinase activity and ATP hydrolysis. In this study, demonstrate the ability of AdeR to interact with the intercistronic DNA. And suggest the occurrence of potential interactions between AdeR and AdeS. However, the exact binding affinity could not be determined through ITC. Additionally, the FRET experiments did not provide conclusive evidence of protein-protein interactions. Further investigations are warranted to understand the effects of variations in amino acids on the affinity of AdeR for DNA and the affinity of AdeR and AdeS in controlling efflux pump expression. These results have implications for manipulating protein interactions in this system to minimize drug resistance in A. baumannii.
Whole genome sequencing, de novo assembly, and comparative analysis of varanus salvator and megaustenia siamensis
Authors:   , Chetruengchai Wanna
Published: September 2023

Background: Understanding the animal genome structure and function is pivotal for expanding our current knowledge of evolution, biodiversity, cosmeceutical and medical applications. Each species has a unique characteristic feature. Varanus salvator is a reptile (vertebrate) prevalent in Thailand. It has evolved over millions of years to adapt and survive in urban environments, polluted canals, and garbage dumps. It still survives without noticeable effects. Megaustenia siamensis, an invertebrate, is famous for its ability to produce biological adhesive substances enabling it to stick to trees’ leaves even in heavy rain. However, there is very little genomics or transcriptomics data for V. salvator and M. siamensis. Herein, High-throughput whole-genome assembly would serve as a genomic reference of V. salvator and M. siamensis. The transcriptomics would lead to the discovery of proteins involving in bioactive compound syntheses, which may have high potential in cosmeceutical and medical applications. Method: We generated reference genomes using a hybrid approach of short-read and long-read sequencing platforms. Performing comparative genomics within and between species to understand the evolution and adaptation. We also studied positively selected genes which were associated with V.salvator-specific traits and M.siamensis-specific traits. Furthermore, we sought for potential bioactive compounds, antimicrobial peptides, and differential expression between foot and mantle from transcriptomic data. Result: The final size of the reference genome assembly of V. salvator was 1.7 Gb with an N50 scaffold size of 71Mb featuring 87.5% completeness of the genome assembly. Our comparative genomic analysis revealed that V. salvator is closely related to V. komodoensis. We also found a positive selection in V. salvator genome within the genes controlling blood clotting and innate immunity genes. The final size of the reference genome assembly of M. siamensis was 2.59 Gb with an N50 scaffold size of 84.3Mb featuring 85.9% completeness of the genome assembly. The phylogenetic tree showed that M. siamensis was most closely to A. vulgaris, which is a group of land snails.  Positive selection was found in pathways related to ubiquitin-proteasome. Moreover, RNA from foot and mantle tissues suggested the major components of the glue, which comprised lectin-like proteins (C-lectin, H-lectin, and C1q) and matrilin-like proteins (VWA and EGF). The result also reveals 44 potential antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Conclusion: The draft genome data are expected to provide useful information for future studies and contribute significantly to understanding the biological insight. Furthermore, the transcriptome data reveal the highest protein composition and bioactive compounds, which might be useful for medical applications.
Macrophage depletion enhances gut dysbiosis and severity in sepsis mouse model
Authors:   , Hiengrach Pratsanee
Published: September 2023

Macrophage is vital players in the responsiveness of the innate immune system against injury or infection. Although macrophage depletion is well-known for some emerging therapies, such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, and decreasing tumor-associated macrophages in melanoma, dysfunction of macrophages leads to an inability of an appropriate immune response and implicated in various disease processes, especially intestinal macrophages that play a key role in the gut immune system and the regulation of gastrointestinal physiology. To obtain an understanding of the role of sepsis-associated macrophages, clodronate was used for the dysfunction of mouse macrophages with and without cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis. Macrophage depletion significantly increased fecal Ascomycota, with a slight growth of bacterial microbiota which might be enhanced gut-barrier damage as Candida pintolopesii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter radioresistens, and Enterococcus faecalis that were identified from mouse blood. In addition, increased mortality, cytokine overproduction, organ damage (liver and kidney), gut leakage (FITC-dextran), imbalance of fecal fungi and pathogenic bacteria, as well as fungemia and bacteremia in sepsis with macrophage-depleted animals was more severe than sepsis in control mice (fungemia and bacteremia). To determine the interaction between fungal molecules and bacterial abundance, each heat-kill lysate of C. pintolopesii, C. albicans ATCC90028, C. albicans (isolated from human blood), and purified (1→3)-β-D-Glucan (BG), a major component of the fungal cell wall was co-cultured with each pathogenic bacterium, including K. pneumoniae, E. faecalis, and A. radioresistens, indicating that the enhanced growth of bacteria that were isolated from the blood implying a direct enhancer to some bacterial species. Furthermore, the additive effect of heat-kill lysate Candida yeast cells or their components together with heat-kill lysate of isolated bacteria on enterocytes (Caco-2) also supported an influence of gut fungi in worsening sepsis. In conclusion, macrophage depletion enhanced fecal Candida and fecal pathogenic bacteria overgrowth, intestinal barrier damage, and gut translocation of bacteria and fungi that additively worsened sepsis severity. These findings suggested that fecal fungus could spontaneously elevate in response to macrophage-depleted therapy, increasing the severity of sepsis.
Epigenetic regulation in trained and tolerized macrophages
Authors:   , Benjaskulluecha Salisa
Published: September 2023

Innate immune memory is the phenomenon that can either enhance (trained) or suppress (tolerized) immune response by innate immune cells during the second encounter of the stimuli such as pathogens. Previous studies reported that epigenetic regulations critically regulate both types of innate immune memory. However, a complete understanding of the underlying mechanisms is still lacking. In this study, we performed a screening of an epigenetics compound library to identify inhibitors that affect ß-glucan (BG)-trained or LPS-tolerized macrophages. Among 181 compounds tested, various inhibitors targeting Aurora kinase, histone methyltransferase PRMT and EZH2, histone demethylase LSD1 and JMJD2, histone deacetylase 6 and sirtuin-1, and PARP showed inhibitory activity against LPS tolerance by promoting effects on TNFα production. The effect of LSD1 in LPS tolerance was validated in this study. Inhibition or silencing of LSD1 results in suppressed LPS tolerance by enhance cytokines production. However, no change was observed in H3K4me3 level associated with the Tnf promoter upon LSD1 inhibition. In trained immunity, we identified an inhibitor of O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), a DNA repair enzyme of the lesion triggered by alkylating agent, as a novel regulator of trained immunity in macrophages. MGMT expression significantly increased after the priming with BG, and inhibition or silencing of MGMT expression during the priming resulted in increased trained immunity. To further investigate the role of MGMT in trained immunity, mice with myeloid specific deletion of MGMT were generated (LysM-crecre/+; MGMTfl/fl mice). However, targeted deletion of MGMT expression resulted in a decrease in proinflammatory cytokines production in trained immunity both in vitro and in vivo. Depletion of MGMT in trained macrophages resulted in decrease downstream signaling molecules of TLR4 receptor, such as p38 and SAPK/JNK. In addition, signaling downstream of dectin-1 receptor, such as mTOR, and glycolytic function was also damped. These results highlight the unexpected role of MGMT in regulation of trained immunity beyond its role in DNA repair. Based on transcriptomic data, MGMT may regulate trained immunity through  farnesoid X receptor (Nr1h4) and PR domain zinc figure protein 5 (Prdm5). Taken together, this screening approach indicates that innate immune memory is regulated by numerous mechanisms and the novel target proteins identified from this research has the potential to regulate innate immune memory, which could be used as a target of therapeutic agents for several diseases.
Dosimetric differences between scheduled and adapted plans generated from ethos adaptive radiotherapy for patients with prostate cancer
Authors:   , Suvira Sarita
Published: September 2023

Prostate is one of the organs that can easily move or change during the treatment fractions. Adaptive radiotherapy can help to reduce the uncertainty of interfraction and decrease the side effects produced from the radiation given to the patients. The objective of this study was to provide evidence of the efficiency of adaptive radiotherapy for prostate cancer patients by investigating the dosimetric differences between the scheduled and adapted plans generated from Ethos. The treatment data of 100 fractions of prostate cancer patients who had previously been treated on Ethos daily adaptive radiotherapy were collected. The treatment data in each fraction of both scheduled and adapted plans include PTVs D95%, PTV Dmin, PTV Dmax, OAR doses of bladder and rectum, homogeneity index (HI) and frequency of plan selection were compared. The PTVs consist of PTV1, PTV2, and PTV3 which have dose prescription at 48 Gy, 57.6 Gy, and 60 Gy, respectively. PTV doses were compared in each fraction between scheduled and adapted plans. The adapted plan with 77% of all the fractions has the value of PTV3 D95% closer to the reference plan than the scheduled plan. There were 79% of fractions that the adapted plan had higher PTV3 D95% for 0.2% ± 1.2% on average than the scheduled plan in our study. The adaptation significantly pushed the average of Dmin higher, lower the average of Dmax and HI in every patient. Except for one patient that the average of Dmax and HI index were higher than the scheduled plan. For bladder dose, there were 23 fractions that had values of V60Gy exceed the threshold, adaptation could lower the values for 0.71% ± 0.57% on average (p-value <0.001). For V40.8 Gy and V48.6 Gy, the adapted plan lowered the values for 0.08% ± 0.17% and 0.11% ± 0.20%, respectively (p-value <0.001). Overall, the adapted plan had the values less than the scheduled plan and both plans produced values below bladder constraints. Adaptation could reduce rectal dose of V20, V30, V40, V50, and V60 Gy for 1.47%, 4.83%, 5.70%, 12.09%, and 12.52%, respectively. Especially for V50 Gy that the value was higher than the rectal constraint in the scheduled plan but the adapted plan could lower it to within tolerance. In conclusion, the adapted plan produced better results and less variation in PTV doses, HI, and OAR doses, where it pushed the average of Dmin higher and lower the average of Dmax, HI, and OAR doses. In comparison with the scheduled plan, the adapted plan produced PTVs D95% closer to the reference plan for 66% of fractions. This showed significant improvements by the adaptation from Ethos. However, the higher dose of adapted plan over the reference plan might lead to creating some hot areas in target volume. Thus, a careful review by oncologists is required prior to dose delivery.
Regulatory T Cell in drug-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) during acute and recovery phase
Authors:   , Khanaruksombat Suparada
Published: September 2023

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a type of SCARs induced by various drugs. The autoimmune consequences were observed throughout the recovery phase ranging between 10 – 20 % of DRESS patients. The dynamics of regulatory T cells (Tregs) are thought to be responsible for the many symptoms of DRESS. They may be a key player in developing autoimmune sequelae in this syndrome. This study concentrated on the number and function of CD4+CD25+CD127-FoxP3+ Tregs in autoimmune development in DRESS patients. CD4+CD25+CD127-FoxP3+ Tregs and their immunophenotyping were characterized using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients by Flow cytometry techniques. The suppressive function of Tregs was determined using suppression assay by co-culture between autologous Treg and effector T cells. NanoString technology was used to study mRNA profiles to explore genes associated with Tregs. CD4+CD25+CD127-FoxP3+ Tregs in DRESS with autoimmune sequelae at the acute phase tended to be lower than DRESS without autoimmune sequelae, SJS/TEN patients, and in healthy controls. The immunophenotyping showed that the expression of CTLA-4, LAG-3, GITR, and IL-10 were higher in DRESS with autoimmune sequelae patients. However, the suppression of Treg on Teff proliferation was also lower in DRESS with autoimmune sequelae patients. The mRNA profile showed downregulation of genes associated with Treg function since the acute phase of DRESS with autoimmune sequelae. In conclusion, this study illustrated the regulatory functions of Tregs were altered since the acute phase after the onset of DRESS, which might be used as prognostic factors for long-term complications in DRESS subjects.
Genetic analysis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in Thailand
Authors:   , Isaranuwatchai Suramath
Published: September 2023

Background: The genetic variants spectra of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) vary among different populations. Here we described the clinical and genetic characteristics of biopsy-proven FSGS patients in Thailand. We also used special staining in renal biopsy tissue to describe protein expression related to the variants found by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Also, a functional study in cells was studied to investigate the etiologic evidence of the variants found by WES.

Methods: Fifty-three unrelated FSGS patients without secondary causes were included in our study. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was subsequently performed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining method was used to characterize the morphology of renal pathology for clinical and genomic correlation. Cell-based split-luciferase-based trimer formation assay was used to investigate whether the variances found by WES related to clinical, pathology, and genomic findings.

Results: Of 53 FSGS patients, 35 patients were adults (66.0%), and 51 patients were sporadic cases (96.2%). Clinical diagnosis before kidney biopsy was steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) in 58.5%, and proteinuric chronic kidney disease in 32.1%. Using WES, disease-associated pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants could be identified in six patients including the two familial cases, making the P/LP detection rate of 11.3% (6/53). Of these six patients, two patients harbored novel variants with one in the COL4A4 gene and one in the MAFB gene. Four other patients carried previously reported variants in the CLCN5, LMX1B and COL4A4 genes. Protein expression study with IHC staining of α5(IV) collagen in kidney tissues were positive in kidney tissues of both P/LP variants and benign variants; therefore, IHC staining did not correlated with pathogenicity of variants classified. However, cell-based split-luciferase-based trimer formation assay of α345(IV) collagen showed decreased in protein expression of α345(IV) collagen in the cells with P/LP variants; hence, predicted that these P/LP variants were the cause of FSGS in the respective patients. 

Conclusions: The overall P/LP variant detection rate by WES in biopsy-proven FSGS patients was 11.3%. The most identified variants were in COL4A4. IHC staining of α5(IV) collagen was not associated with pathogenicity of variants, but cell-based study can successfully demonstrated the etiologic evidence of COL4A4 variants found by WES.
Effect of thiosulfate on the passivation of zinc-alloyed anodes, (Z32120 and Z13000) at 80°C after 288h immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution
Authors:   , Zaw Thwelt
Published: September 2023

In this research, the inhibition of passivation on Zn alloys (Z32120 with Al) and Z13000 without Al) in artificial seawater (3.5% NaCl) mixing with different thiosulfate concentrations (100ppm, 150ppm, 200ppm) were investigated electrochemically after 288h immersion at 80°C and compared the results with that of testing without thiosulfate in the environment. According to the Potentiodynamic polarization test results, it is found that the presence of thiosulfate (S2O32-) in the solution hinders the passivation that was formed during the immersion of Zn alloys between 120h and 288h at 80°C in the absence of thiosulfate. Thiosulfate effect promotes Cl- penetration for not only hinderance of the passivation but also generating the depassivation of passive films resulting in retarding repassivation. It is confirmed by the comparison between polarization test results of testing without thiosulfate and with thiosulfate in the solution. However, although all thiosulfate concentrations used in the study impedes the passivation, the different thiosulfate concentration gives the different effectiveness depending on the immersion time and temperature. Also, Al presence in the Zn alloys supports the different effectiveness. The lower thiosulfate concentration (100ppm) exhibits the decrease of current density at longer immersion for Z32120 whilst Z13000 exhibits the decrease of the current density at higher thiosulfate concentration (200ppm). Regarding the results investigated in this study, Z32120 is effective with 150ppm and 200ppm thiosulfate meanwhile Z13000 is better result with 100ppm and 150ppm. Therefore, 150ppm is considered to be the proper and average value for both Zn alloys. The effect of thiosulfate on passivation of both Zn alloys was discussed based on immersion time, temperature, pH, and the ratio of Cl- and S2O32-.
Factors influencing quality nursing care at hospitals in Indonesia
Authors:   , Juanamasta I
Published: September 2023

The study investigated whether patient-to-nurse ratio, working hours, nurse competence, environment, nurse satisfaction, and turnover intention influence inpatient quality nursing care in Indonesian hospitals. Aiken’s model and empirical evidence were adapted to construct the framework. A cross-sectional design and multistage sampling were employed. Five hundred-fifty registered inpatient department nurses from June to October 2022. They were involved in completing the seven-part questionnaires, include a demographic questionnaire, nurse staffing measurement form, Good Nursing Care Scale, Nurse Competence Scale, Practice Environment Scale, McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale, and Anticipated Turnover Scale. All questionnaires had acceptable psychometric properties, which included content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability. Structural equation modeling was used to find out the predictors of quality nursing care.

The results specified that the model fits the empirical data and explained 67% of the variance about nursing care quality (χ2 = 975.50, df = 351, χ2/df = 2.78, p-value = .00, GFI = .88, AGFI = .86, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .03, and CFI = .99, NFI = .98). The structural equation modeling results showed nurse competence, work environment, and nurse satisfaction had a significant positive direct impact on quality nursing care (γ = .51 and .31, β = .12, p < .05 respectively). The environment had a significant indirect effect positively on quality nursing care through job satisfaction. However, the patient-to-nurse ratio and working hours had no impact on nursing care quality. Additionally, the turnover intention is against the hypothesis.
Effect of normal saline in different concentration on soft tissue healing of extraction wound: a clinical study
Authors:   , Kunthikarn Walailuk
Published: September 2023

Sodium chloride solution (NaCl) is regarded as the most suitable and recommended medical irrigation, because of the nontoxic and isotonic properties. The previous in vitro study showed that NaCl solution induced migration and extracellular matrix excretion from human gingival fibroblast. However, there is no report concerning the effect of rinsing extraction wound with NaCl solution in clinical trial study. This research study is split mouth single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate if rinsing with 0.9% and 1.8% NaCl solution on extraction wound can promote soft tissue healing. The operation was performed in 60 socket sites. The patients, who had been planned for bilateral premolar extraction, were randomly divided into 3 groups with different solutions used including sterile water solution (control), 0.9% NaCl solution, and 1.8% NaCl solution, respectively. Mesio-distal dimension, bucco-lingual dimension and the depth of sockets were evaluated to determine the socket wound healing property on day 0 (immediate post-operation), 7 and 21, respectively. The results showed that there was a significant reduction in Mesio-Distal dimension of the sterile water and 1.8% NaCl group in the first week, but not in the third week. The Bucco-Lingual dimension did not show a significant difference in the results. And the socket depth, there was a significant difference in the percentage reduction in socket depth in the 0.9% NaCl group in the third week. The result of this study may be helpful in term of the acceleration of the healing period in the complicated case or in immunocompromised patients.
Prediction of future caries in toddlers via salivary microbiome: A 1-year longitudinal study
Authors:   , Raksakmanut Ratcha
Published: September 2023

Dental caries in children is the most common chronic oral disease that could disturb their quality of life including their development. Early prevention is a key approach to reducing the prevalence of early childhood caries. However, a reliable caries predictor, as an essential tool for targeted prevention that is important to this approach, is still lacking for infants before caries onset. Therefore, we aimed to develop the caries risk prediction model based on the salivary microbiome of caries-free 1-year-old children to predict caries onset at 1-year follow-up. Using a nested case-control design within a prospective cohort study, 30 saliva samples, collected at a baseline time point, were selected based on sufficient sample quantity and caries status when children were 2-year-old: 10 children who developed non-cavitated caries lesions, 10 who developed cavitated caries lesions, and 10 who remained caries-free then 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed. The salivary microbiota of the children who remained caries-free was significantly different when compared with those who developed cavitated caries lesions (unweighted UniFrac, ANOSIM, Benjamini-Hochberg corrected, P = 0.042). The relative abundance of Prevotella nanceiensis, Leptotrichia sp. HMT 215, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Campylobacter concisus were significantly higher in the children who remained caries-free compared with those who developed cavitated caries lesions (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, P = 0.024, 0.040, 0.049, and 0.049, respectively) and were identified as biomarkers for the children who remained caries-free (LEfSe, LDA score = 3.69, 3.74, 3.52, and 3.46, respectively). Caries prediction model generated by machine learning based on these 4 biomarkers differentiated the 1-year-old children between those who did and did not develop cavitated caries lesion at 2-year-old with an accuracy of 80%, sensitivity of 80%, and specificity of 80% (AUC, 0.8; 95% CI, 44.4-97.5). These findings suggest that the salivary microbiome of caries-free 1-year-old children could predict future caries onset in infants that could further develop into a promising caries predictor for targeted prevention.