cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1532
title: Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu and HIV/AIDS education

description: The objectives of this thesis are to study the Buddhist monk, Phra Alongkot Tikkhapanyo’s activities in caring for PLHAs (People Living with HIV/AIDS) and providing HIV/AIDS education at Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu and at the community level, and to investigate and analyze the role and the influence of Phra Alongkot’s activities on visitors to Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu in terms of education for HIV/AIDS prevention and the development of compassion for and understanding of PLHAs. Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu, located in Lopburi Province, is a Thai Buddhist temple which has been providing care for PLHAs since 1992. Phra Alongkot Tikkhapanyo, abbot of Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu, actively provides care based on Buddhist teachings for PLHAs at the temple and also goes out to various communities doing advocacy work on HIV/AIDS and PLHAs. Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu is open to the general public, and over 100,000 people visit the temple every year. In this research, field-based research on Phra Alongkot’s HIV/AIDS care at Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu and at the community level and in-depth interviews with Phra Alongkot, lay temple staff, as well as school teachers were conducted. Questionnaire surveys were also conducted with general visitors to Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu and with Grade 7-12 school students visiting the temple as part of their social studies curriculum. Collected data shows that Phra Alongkot’s HIV/AIDS activities have a positive influence on the understanding of visitors to Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu towards the disease from the perspective of HIV/AIDS prevention and development of compassion for PLHAs. The research finds that Phra Alongkot’s role in HIV/AIDS activities is effective 1) in caring for PLHAs, 2) as a preventative measure for people who are not suffering from HIV/AIDS and 3) in developing compassion for and understanding of PLHAs.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1533
title: Using the rice frog (fejervarya limnocharis) as a sentinel species for cadmium contamination in Tak province, Thailand

description: By utilizing the cadmium contamination history in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand, this research was developed to use a common native amphibian species, the rice frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) as a sentinel species for the problem. The objective of this research was to determine the suitability of this species as a sentinel for cadmium contamination. Frogs were collected on monthly basis during November 2007 and October 2008 from several rice fields in contaminated site (Mae Tao) and reference site (Mae Pa) in Mae Sot District, Tak Province. Frog samples were subjected to analyses for cadmium contamination level, hepatic biomarker, morphometry and gravimetry, and biological and ecological effects. The contaminant analysis showed that Mae Tao frogs had higher hepatic, renal, testicular and whole organismal cadmium than Mae Pa frogs, with the kidney as the greatest accumulator. This was mirrored by the bioconcentration factor data that showed the same trend. The biomarker analysis showed that frogs from the contaminated site had higher hepatic metallothionein and hepatic glutathione-S-transferase levels than those from the reference site. However, only glutathione-S-transferase showed a strong stressor-response correlation with hepatic cadmium. The morphometric and gravimetric analysis revealed that only condition factor, renosomatic index and female gonadosomatic index showed significant differences between Mae Pa and Mae Tao frogs. However, albeit being insignificant, Scaling coefficient and hepatosomatic index showed similar trends. In the biological and ecological effect study, it was found that Mae Tao frogs had higher macro-melanophage count in the liver. Hepatocyte swelling, possible necrotic and apoptotic hepatocytes, renal tumor-like aggregation, renal hemorrhage and more testicular ovarian follicle were also observed in Mae Tao frogs. The results showed that cadmium contamination may, either directly or indirectly, cause an increase in cadmium accumulation in the liver, kidney, testis and whole organism; an increase in hepatic metallothionein and hepatic glutathione-S-transferase; a decrease in condition factor, renosomatic index and female gonadosomatic index; and histopathological changes in the liver, kidney and testis of the rice frog. Therefore these results were able to justify the use of Fejervarya limnocharis as a sentinel species for cadmium contamination.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1534
title: Solid state polymerization of 2,5-Dibromo-3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene in poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Matrix

description: The conductive polymer composite film containing poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene) (PEDOT) was prepared starting from electrospinning the solution mixture of 2,5-dibromo-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (DBEDOT) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix on glass slide. After the solvent was removed, the solid state polymerization (SSP) of the DBEDOT crystals embedded in the polymer matrix was then induced by heating at 70-80C. A dark blue composite film containing PEDOT was obtained. It was found that compression during heating produced better dispersed polymer in the film. The conductivity of the composite film reached as high as 42.96 S/cm and continued to increase upon storage at room temperature, which was possibly due to slow polymerization of the remaining monomers. The characteristics of the synthesized PEDOT composite film were determined by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1535
title: Effect of organic fertilizer and potassium hydroxide addition on cadmium bioavailability in paddy soil

description: In this work the effects of organic fertilizer on the pH, Cd phytoavailability and Cd distribution in rice plants was examined in a pot experiment and field experiments using Cd contaminated soil at high concentration (&gt; 60 mg /kg soil) for the pot experiment; and for the field experiment both high (&gt; 3 mg /kg soil) and low (&lt; 0.5 mg/kg) Cd concentrations were selected for the evaluation. For pot experiment, the 5 kg soil/pot was treated with 1 Mol/L KOH addition with 80 and 240 mL and organic fertilizer addition at 4 levels; 0 (control), 10, 20, and 100 g/pot (5 kg soil). For KOH addition, increasing pH was found to be an obvious effect which resulted to the rice during the vegetative stage became dwarf and died finally. . The result showed that the combination of the soluble and exchangeable Cd fraction (F1) and the reducible Cd fraction (F2) was decreasing when KOH addition increased. For the organic fertilizer addition, the result showed that addition of organic fertilizer increased oxidizable Cd fraction (F3) and decreased the soluble and exchangeable Cd fraction (F1). There was an increase of dry matter yield with increasing organic fertilizer addition. Cd concentration in plant parts was found in root &gt; stem &gt; grain. No such significant reduction in rice plant was seen for Cd by organic fertilizer addition. For field experiment, despite the fact that the organic fertilizer addition was not shown an effect on the increasing F3 significantly, Cd in rice grain were found decreasing for both plots of high and low Cd contaminations. However, it may not be confident to conclude that the increasing is occurred only form organic fertilizer addition since there were several factors in the field study were out of control. Productivity of rice grain from the four filed sites experiment were found insignificantly different, only one control plot with low concentration that show the higher production from organic fertilizer addition.
DOI: 10.1285/i9788883051487p297
title: Il cane in Etruria Padana: usi domestici e valenze rituali

description: In questo contributo vengono presi in esame i vari usi e le molteplici valenze del cane nella civiltà Etrusca tra il VI e il III sec. a.C. con particolare attenzione ad alcuni contesti dell'Etruria Padana. In ambito etrusco i cani vengono prevalentemente allevati per fini utilitaristici: per compagnia, per la protezione della casa o del bestiame e per la caccia; rare, seppur presenti, sono le attestazioni di cinofagia. In ambito sacro, strettamente legato alla dimensione ctonia, il cane è connesso ai passaggi e alle porte, al movimento, dunque alla crescita e alla procreazione; forte è anche il legame con la morte e l'oltretomba di cui esso è guardiano infero oltre che protettore del defunto. Proprio per queste valenze cultuali il cane poteva essere oggetto di sacrifici di varia tipologia (di protezione, purificatori, espiatori, onorifici e mantici) e di altre pratiche rituali dedicate a divinità ctonie e legate alla sfera della fertilità o all'idea di passaggio.Nella città etrusca di Marzabotto (Kainua) recenti scoperte provenienti sia dall'abitato sia dal santuario fontile hanno consentito un'analisi coerente degli usi domestici e cultuali del cane, mentre l'utilizzo in ambito funerario è ben rappresentato a Spina e ad Adria, dove sono documentate sepolture di cane, anche in posizioni rilevanti.
description: The aim of this paper is to examine the various uses and the different meanings of the dog in the Etruscan civilization between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Special attention is given to some contexts of Etruria Padana. In the Etruscan world, dogs are mainly bred for utilitarian purposes: for company, for the protection of house or livestock, for hunting; rather rare are the proofs of feeding. Closely related to the underworld, the dog is connected to the passages and gates, to the movement, to the growth and procreation; it is also strongly connected with the death, and indeed the dog was considered the guardian of afterlife and protector of the deceased. For these valences the dog could be used for various types of sacrifices and other ritual practices (protective, purifying, sin offerings, honorary and divinatory) dedicated to chthonian deities and linked to the sphere of fertility or to the idea of passage. Recent discoveries in the Etruscan town of Marzabotto (Kainua), from the town and from the sanctuary related to the waters, have allowed a coherent analysis of the domestic and sacred uses of dogs, while the funerary use is attested in Spina and Adria.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1536
title: Enhancement of cutting oil wastewater treatment and separation by coalescer process

description: The objective of this work is to study the treatment and separation of synthetic oily wastewater with 1 g/l cutting oil in water by combined process of coalescer and decantation. Three shapes of polypropylene (PP) materials were applied as coalescing medium including granular, fibrous, and tubular PP at different operating conditions. Moreover, the concept of stage coalescer (step bed configuration), liquid recirculation, and improvement of decantation performance were applied for increasing the overall treatment efficiency. Finally, the simple model will be proposed and applied for providing a better understanding on the cutting oily-wastewater treatment efficiency obtained with the combined coalescer and decantation processes. The results shown that different shapes of polypropylene (PP) was hydrophobic material and can be used as coalescing medium with contact angle of 68 degrees in average. It can be noticed that the flow velocity and bed height can affect the overall treatment efficiency of the process: the highest treatment efficiency (43.64%) was obtained from 2.0 cm/s flow velocity and 10 cm bed height with tubular PP medium. It also found that the size of oil droplets was increased after passing coalescing medium, which caused the increasing of rising velocity of droplet, thus the separation was enhanced. Furthermore, by applying several methods with the conventional process, it was found that the effects of stage coalescer and wastewater recirculation application were different due to the medium types. The treatment performance of fibrous medium was enhanced, while unchanged and negative effect can be observed in case of granular and tubular PP, respectively. The concept of mixed bed by varying porosity for each bed was applied and found that the mixed step bed provided highest treatment efficiency at 59.12%. From the experimental results, the discrete settling relationship can be created and used for designing effective decanter. In addition, the simple model was applied for defining occurred treatment mechanisms. Ergun’s equation was applied to determine the actual diameter (Dactual) of coalescing medium. The simple model combining filtration efficiency equation with decantation was used to investigate the effects of operating condition, which provided the similar trend with the experimental results. Moreover, by validating this model with the treatment of cutting oil emulsion with fibrous stainless steel medium, it was found that the efficiency obtained from decantation was comparatively much higher than the efficiency in term of αηT. The treatment efficiency of process might be improved by adjusting the optimal operating condition for decantation. However, this model was not considered the effect of turbulence in the process.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1537
title: Effects of phosphate addition on immobilization and phytoavailability of Cd in soil and the chemical form and translocation of Cd within rice plants

description: In this work the effects of phosphate (P) on the pH, Cd phytoavailability, and Cd distribution in rice plants was examined in a pot experiment and field experiments using soil exhibiting a high (&gt; 60 mg Cd/kg soil) Cd concentration for the pot experiment and high (&gt; 60 mg Cd/kg soil) and low (&lt; 0.5 mg/kg) Cd concentration for the field experiment. The soil was treated with four P levels, 0 (control), 50, 200, and 1000 mg P/kg soil in the form of a commercial P-fertilizer (0-52-34; 52% P2O5 and 34% K2O). Cd immobilization in soil was evaluated by a chemical fractionation scheme for both the pot and the field experiments. Additionally, the effects of various P concentrations (0-1000 mg/L) on the chemical forms and subcellular fractionation of Cd within rice plants were examined. The addition of P increased the pH and Cd adsorption by the soil and decreased the Cd concentration in the soluble and exchangeable Cd fraction. There was an increase in dry matter yield with increasing P addition for the pot as well as for the field experiment. Results obtained for plant uptake for the pot experiment were different compared to the field experiment. Due to high Cd concentrations present in soil, plants showed severe Cd toxicity symptoms. Cd uptake by the whole rice plants was not altered with increasing P addition. This was different for the field experiment as with increasing P application the Cd concentration in plants decreased. With increasing growth stage the Cd concentration in plants was decreased being more pronounced for higher levels of P application ascribed to a reduced Cd uptake, translocation, and as a result of the dilution effect of the plant’s Cd with increasing biomass. The chemical forms of Cd within the rice plants were altered after Paddition and the uptake was decreased. The subcellular fractionation showed a redistribution of the plant’s Cd to the immobile cell wall fraction with higher levels of Paddition.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1538
title: Gene cloning, expression and characterization of chitinase from black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

description: Chitinases are essential enzymes for crustaceans and animal alike for their molting and digestion of foods containing chitin. From the Penaeus monodon EST database, cDNA contigs and singletons for three chitinases, namely PmChi1, 2 and 3, were identified. The complete sequences of the mature PmChi1, 3 and partial PmChi2 were amplified and cloned. The reading frames of PmChi1 and 3 encoded mature proteins of 644 and 468 amino acids with calculated molecular weights of 72.4 and 51.9 kDa, respectively. The amino acid sequence comparison among the penaeid chitinases revealed very high homology around 90%. They were, thus, grouped together along with those of other crustaceans and insects into three groups separated from those of mammals. The PmChi1 and 3 were expressed mainly in hepatopancreas, whereas PmChi2 were in gill. Small amount of them could be expressed in other tissues. After molting, only the expression of PmChi2 was down-regulated while the expression of PmChi1 and 3 was relatively unchanged. The results suggested that the PmChi2 was likely involved in molting while the others might function in the digestion of chitinous foods. The recombinant PmChi1 (rPmChi1) over-produced from Escherichia coli had its optimal pH 5 but it was most stable at neutral pH. Interestingly, the optimal temperature was relatively high at 55 ºC. Nevertheless, it was stable at lower temperature below 40 ºC. The rPmChi1 preferentially hydrolyzed the more soluble substrates like partially N-acetylated chitin (PNAC) and colloidal chitin from shrimp shell as compared to the β-chitin from squid pen.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1539
title: The development of an English instructional model using the integration of drama and questioning techniques to enhance students' speaking achievement and critical thinking skill

description: This study was conducted with the aim to fulfill four objectives: (1) to develop an English instructional model using the integration of drama and questioning techniques to enhance students’ speaking achievement and critical thinking skill; (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the model to enhance students’ speaking achievement; (3) to examine the effectiveness of the model to develop students’ critical thinking skill; and (4) to investigate students’ attitudes towards the developed English instructional model. The study was conducted with a sample group of 15 non-English majored undergraduate students who were enrolled in the English through Drama course in the third semester of the academic year 2008 at Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani Campus. The experiment was carried out for six weeks, totaling 40 hours. Data were collected using the speaking and critical thinking achievement tests administered before and after the implementation of the treatment. The gained scores the students obtained from the pretests and the posttests were compared using paired sample t-test and Hedges’ g effect sizes to measure the effects and the magnitudes of the effects caused by the English instructional model. Teacher’s journals and students’ journals were also employed during the implementation to collect qualitative data concerning students’ thinking progress as well as their attitudes towards the model. Also, specifically designed attitude questionnaires were applied at the end of the course as an additional means to investigate students’ attitudes towards the developed model. Findings revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores students obtained from the pretests and posttests of speaking achievement and critical thinking at a significance level of 0.01. The effect sizes calculated by using Hedges’ g yielded the value of 1.68 and 0.95, respectively, which were considered large. The data obtained from the students’ journals indicated that their thinking progress could be detected from their reflections. Students’ attitudes towards the English instructional model using the integration of drama and questioning techniques through the data obtained from the students’ journals and attitude questionnaires exhibited positive results. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the developed model can be implemented as one of the effective means to enhance speaking ability and critical thinking skill of Thai learners who are studying English as a foreign language
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1540
title: Liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric determinations of mechlorethamine-DNA crosslinks

description: The mechlorethamine crosslinking reaction with DNA at a cytosine-cytosine (C-C) mismatch pair has been used to probe the structure of DNA containing the d[GCC]•d[GCC] fragment associated with the triplet repeat expansion disease, Fragile X syndrome. The objectives of this work are to determine the structure and amount of the crosslink formed by mechlorethamine with a DNA duplex containing a C-C mismatch pair using HPLC and MALDI-TOF-MS, and to determine the target of mechlorethamine crosslinking in this duplex by enzymatic digestion, HPLC and ESI-MS/MS. HPLC analysis and molecular weight determination by MALDI-TOF-MS of the reaction products formed by mechlorethamine and the 15-mer DNA duplex d[CTCACACCGTGGTTC]•d[GAACCACCGTGTGAG] (underlined bases form a C-C mismatch pair) indicated formation of a mechlorethamine interstrand crosslink. HPLC and ESI-MS/MS analysis showed three products following enzymatic digestion of the crosslink by snake venom phosphodiesterase (SVPD) and calf intestinal phosphatase (CIP): dC-mechlorethamine-Cl (dC-mech-Cl), dC-mechlorethamine-OH (dC-mech-OH) and dC-mechlorethamine-dC (dC-mech-dC). Mass spectrometry also indicated that mechlorethamine forms the interstrand C-C crosslink through N3 of each cytosine base. These results are consistent with results from published gel electrophoretic data. Most importantly, they provide the first evidence of the structural connectivity of the mechlorethamine C-C crosslink, and establish this crosslink as a new chemical species.
DOI: 10.14457/cu.the.2009.1541
title: Chemical compatibility of new lantanum strontium cobalt aluminium oxides and yttria stabilized zirconia

description: The chemical compatibilities of the candidates, La1-xSrxCo1-yAlyO3 perovskites and La2-xSrxCo1-yAlyO4 K2NiF4-typed, of cathode material for solid oxide fuel cell with the commercial solid electrolyte, 8 mol % yttria stabilized zirconia (8-YSZ), were studied. Firstly, perovskite and K2NiF4-typed oxides with 0.0 &lt; x, y &lt; 1.0 and 0.0 &lt; x &lt; 2.0, 0.0 ≤ y ≤ 1.0 respectively were prepared by modified nitric citrate method, and characterized by XRD. It was found that the single-phased perovskites were synthesized successfully at 900 – 1000oC for 5h. When x is 0.0 - 1.0 (except x = 0.5 – 0.7), y ≤ 0.2, the crystal structure is cubic. The lattice constants, the volume per formula unit and density decrease with the increase of Al content. The single-phased K2NiF4-typed oxides were achieved when x = 0.8 – 1.2 (except x = 1.1), y = 0.1 and when x = 1.0, y = 0.0 – 0.6 after calcination at 900 – 1100oC. The crystal structure of K2NiF4-typed oxides is tetragonal. Monitored by XRD and SEM/EDX, the La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yAlyO3 with y = 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 and LaSrCo1-yAlyO4, y = 0.05, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 have a good chemical compatibility with 8-YSZ from room temperature up to 850oC and 800°C respectively. In addition the thermal expansion coefficients of La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yAlyO3 (y = 0.0, 0.05 and 0.2) decrease with the increase of Al content and the thermal expansion coefficients of LaSrCo1-yAlyO4 (y = 0.0, 0.05 and 0.2) increase with the increase of Al content.