East Of Thailand Research Articles

Factors Predicting Mental Health Problems among Vocational Education Students in Eastern Thailand: A Cross-sectional Study

Vocational education is studying courses that allow students to learn specific, practical skills for the establishment. However, both the curriculum courses and the lifestyles of students may be affected by multiple factors that influence their mental health. Understanding various factors predicting the mental health status of these students is necessary to evelop programs for preventing mental health problems. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify biopsychosocial factors predicting depression, anxiety, and stress among vocational education students in the East of Thailand. Multistage cluster sampling was applied to recruit 1,474 voluntary participants. Data was collected using six questionnaires, including Sociodemographic Data, the Brief-Alcohol, Smok­ing, and Substance Involvement Screening Test, The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale, The Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-short form, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. Multivariable logistic regression was employed for data analyses. The findings revealed that students reported depression (11.6%), anxiety (20.8%), and stress (3.9%), all classified at a mild level. The strongest predicting factor of depression was the hopelessness personality profile. At the same time, anxiety was a predictor of victim and bullying behavior patterns, and stress was a predictor of substance use behaviors. In addition, the difficulty of emotional regulation was associated with all their mental health problems. The results suggested that personnel in educational institutions and community nurses should promote students’ abilities to regulate emotions and personality development and prevent bullying behaviors. Through the use of nursing process to screen for these significant factors and monitor at-risk students based on our findings should help to reduce the incidence rate and severity of mental health problems.

Job’s Tears (Coix Lacryma-Jobi) Adaptability in Sa Kaeo Province, East of Thailand, and Their Chemical Properties in an Edible Group for Alternative Ruminant Animal Forage and Supplementary Feed

Job’s Tears (Coix Lacryma-Jobi) Adaptability in Sa Kaeo Province, East of Thailand, and Their Chemical Properties in an Edible Group for Alternative Ruminant Animal Forage and Supplementary Feed

Evaluation the Situation of Heavy Metal Contamination on a Sandy Beach in the Eastern Provinces of Thailand

Thailand's eastern provinces are essential as a hub for industry and tourism, effect to the study has purposed for heavy metal contamination of a beach in the Thai Gulf area in the east of Thailand was monitored and focuses on the use of the enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) to indicate the environmental condition of beaches. The 30 sample sites were in Chonburi (CHR), Rayong (RY), Chanthaburi (CB), and Trad (TR) provinces, along a sandy beach of about 320 kilometers in length. An inductively coupled plasma technique (ICP-OES) was used to analyze the heavy metals present in the samples. The sand of the range with granulometries greater than 0.85 (18%), between 0.85–0.25 (77%), or less than 0.25 mm (5%). The most common heavy metal found in the samples was Fe at 1632±931 mg/kg dry weight, and the number of heavy metals found in the samples did not exceed the Pollution Control Department of Thailand standards. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that land use activities influence Hg content. The Igeo of Hg was 1–1.99 (moderately polluted) in sample location 4th of the Rayong province, which has an industrial zone and a port. The EF was mainly within the range of 2–5 in the four provinces studied (indicating deficiency to minimal enrichment), except for one location in Trad and Rayong province, which had an EF of over 5; a possible reason for this is that the area is close to agricultural and aquacultural zones, the government organizations can use the data to plan, monitor, and promote tourism in the future.

The Linguistic Landscape and Prospects of a Seaside Destination in the East of Thailand

This study maps the linguistic landscape of the main 3-kilometer road to the Bang Saen Beach in East Thailand using images of roadside signs from Google Street View. In total, 7710 images of textual signs were taken over 7 years: 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Most of the signs were monolingual (5119=66.39%), and Thai was dominant in the monolingual signs (3982=77.79%). The Thai-English combination was mostly found in bilingual signs (2476=97.74%). 2941 examples of Thai transliteration from foreign languages were found, and Thai transliteration from English was the highest (2857=97.15%). Findings on the use of different foreign languages indicated the increasing diversity and prospects of the research site. Notably, English was the most used foreign language.

Novel mutations detected from drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from North East of Thailand.

The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis is a major global public health threat. Thailand is one of the top 14 countries with high tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis rates. Immediate detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis is necessary to reduce mortality and morbidity by effectively providing treatment to ameliorate the formation of resistant strains. Limited data exist of mutation profiles in Northeastern Thailand. Here, 65 drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were used to detect mutations by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. In the katG gene, mutations were occurred in 47 (79.7%) among 59 isoniazid resistant samples. For rpoB gene, 31 (96.9%) were observed as mutations in 32 rifampicin resistant isolates. Of 47 katG mutation samples, 45 (95.7%) had mutations in katG315 codon and 2 (4.3%) showed novel mutations at katG365 with amino acid substitution of CCG-CGG (Pro-Arg). Moreover, out of 31 rpoB mutation isolates, the codon positions rpoB516, rpoB526, rpoB531 and rpoB533 were 3 (9.7%), 8 (25.8%), 11 (35.5%) and 1 (3.2%), respectively. Seven isolates of double point mutation were found [rpoB516, 526; 1 (3.2%) and rpoB516, 531; 6 (19.4%)]. In addition, 1 (3.2%) sample had triple point mutation at codon positions rpoB516, 526 and 531. Common and novel mutation codons of the rpoB and katG genes were generated. Although DNA sequencing showed high accuracy, conventional PCR could be applied as an initial marker for screening drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in limit resources region. Mutations reported here should be considered when developing new molecular diagnostic methods for implementation in Northeastern Thailand.

Community Forest Carbon Assessment in Eastern Thailand from Forest Conservation Management by Local People

One measure of increasing carbon sequestration areas is community forest conservation, which is the way to maintain common forest areas linking with human livelihoods. The first step towards implementing incentive mechanism of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) at the national level is to assess the amount of forest carbon. This is important for REDD inspections and subsequent funding from public funds or carbon markets. The objective is to find the carbon stock in soil, aboveground and belowground biomass for estimated carbon price in the community forest. The study site was carried out at Ban Phrao community forest, Sa Kaeo Province, East of Thailand. Field data were collected from temporary 16 plots the diversity of plant species, to assess forest biomass carbon storage based on the allometric equation, and to estimate the proportion of carbon contents in plant and soil by using CHN analyzer.

Experimental and simulated investigations of the performance of the solar greenhouse dryer for drying cassumunar ginger (Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.)

This paper presents experimental performance of the greenhouse solar dryer for drying of cassumunar ginger (Plai). The dryer consists of a parabolic roof structure covered with polycarbonate plates on a concrete floor. The base of the dryer is a concrete floor with an area of 9×12.4 m2. Nine DC fans powered by three 50-W PV module were used to ventilate the dryer. The dryer was installed at Sa Kaeo province (13.49°N, 102.21°E), east of Thailand. To investigate the experimental performances, 300 kg of cassumunar ginger was dried in the solar greenhouse dryer. The drying air temperature varied from 30 °C to 55 °C during drying. The drying time in the solar greenhouse dryer was 1 day to dry cassumunar ginger from an initial moisture content of 90% (wb) to a final moisture content of 10% (wb), whereas it required 1 day of natural sun drying under similar conditions to reach a moisture content of 40% (wb). A system of partial differential equations describing heat and moisture transfer during drying of cassumunar ginger in the solar greenhouse dryer was developed and solved numerically using the finite difference method. Good agreement was found between experimental and simulated moisture contents.

Responses to Flooding of Two Riparian Tree Species in the Lowland Tropical Forests of Thailand

Responses of riparian woody species, especially in the tropical forests of Thailand, under flooding condition remain unknown. The effects of flooding on growth of the native species, Hydnocarpus anthelminthicus and Xanthophyllum lanceatum, which dominate in the lowland tropical forests in the East of Thailand, were observed during 16 weeks. The growth and morphological responses were determined in one-year-old seedlings, which stems were submerged at a level of 3 cm above the soil surface (flooded). They were compared to the control (unflooded) at every 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Flooding did not suppress shoot elongation in H. anthelminthicus and X. lanceatum over the study period. In general, leaf, stem, and root biomass were not significantly different between flooded and unflooded seedlings in both species. Adventitious roots were found in flooding seedlings of both species, while hypertrophied lenticels were not formed during the submergences. In addition, senescence, necrosis, abscission, or mortality were not observed in the flooded seedlings in this study. Preliminarily, H. anthelminthicus and X. lanceatum could be considered as potential species for restoring the riparian forest, especially in the studied region.

Local Mass Media’s Attitudes towards Environmental Situations in the East

The research on “The Local Mass Media’s Attitudes towards the Environmental Situations in the East” aimed to learn the local mass media’s attitudes toward environment situation in the East of Thailand. This research is a qualitative study. In-depth interviews with key informants who are mass media in the eastern part of Thailand were applied. The informants were asked about their attitudes towards environmental problems in the East. Four issues mentioned during the interviews included Illegal waste disposal in other people’s properties, coastal erosion in Laem Chabang area, people’s opposition of the town plan amendment, and the fresh water conflict.

Tradition and Creativity of the Rahu Symbol in Buddhist Temples: Case Study of Paintings, Sculptures and Amulets in Central and East of Thailand

The objective of the study was to analyze the transmission and application of Rahu symbolism in contemporary Thai society. Data was collected from both documents and a field study in central and eastern Thailand. It was found that in traditional Thai art, the Rahu symbol is portrayed as his face swallowing the sun or the moon. This kind of Rahu symbol is found in Buddhist temples. Such appearances of the Rahu symbol are related to the belief that Rahu has a protective function. Interestingly, the sculpture of Rahu’s body rather than only his face has become popular in contemporary Thai society. Nowadays, Rahu sculptures tend to be located in specific places. A ritual of worshipping Rahu is often created with offerings of food generally of black color. In addition, the Rahu symbol is now created in several other forms such as posters, magic cloths and amulets. Such newly created art forms of Rahu are due to modern interpretations and meanings of the Rahu symbol in contemporary Thai society. These newly-developed meanings of the Rahu symbol are interesting since they can be applied to deal with people’s problems in the socio-cultural and political context of contemporary Thai society.

A spatial assessment of Nipah virus transmission in Thailand pig farms using multi-criteria decision analysis

BackgroundThailand’s Central Plain is identified as a contact zone between pigs and flying foxes, representing a potential zoonotic risk. Nipah virus (NiV) has been reported in flying foxes in Thailand, but it has never been found in pigs or humans. An assessment of the suitability of NiV transmission at the spatial and farm level would be useful for disease surveillance and prevention. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), a knowledge-driven model, was used to map contact zones between local epizootic risk factors as well as to quantify the suitability of NiV transmission at the pixel and farm level.ResultsSpatial risk factors of NiV transmission in pigs were identified by experts as being of three types, including i) natural host factors (bat preferred areas and distance to the nearest bat colony), ii) intermediate host factors (pig population density), and iii) environmental factors (distance to the nearest forest, distance to the nearest orchard, distance to the nearest water body, and human population density). The resulting high suitable areas were concentrated around the bat colonies in three provinces in the East of Thailand, including Chacheongsao, Chonburi, and Nakhonnayok. The suitability of NiV transmission in pig farms in the study area was quantified as ranging from very low to medium suitability.ConclusionsWe believe that risk-based surveillance in the identified priority areas may increase the chances of finding out NiV and other bat-borne pathogens and thereby optimize the allocation of financial resources for disease surveillance. In the long run, improvements of biosecurity in those priority areas may also contribute to preventing the spread of potential emergence of NiV and other bat-borne pathogens.

Survival of Patients with Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated at Tertiary Hospitals in the East of Thailand, 2007-2016: A Retrospective Study

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the survival of patients with small-cell lung cancer treated at tertiary hospitals in the East of Thailand. Materials and methods: The researchers conducted this retrospective study by reviewing medical records of patients with small-cell lung cancer treated at Chonburi Cancer Hospital and Prapokklao Hospital from January 2007 to December 2016 and monitored via follow-up until December 2018. Results: This study enrolled 54 patients with a median follow-up time of 8.5 months. The median age of patients was 63 years old. Most patients were male (83.3%) and had a history of smoking (90.7%), and 31.4% had clinical superior vena cava obstruction at initial treatment. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1 was noted for 61.1% of the study population. Median survival time of patients with limited-stage and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who received systemic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy was 17.01 months (95% CI, 12.01 - 22.01) and 8.14 months (95% CI, 7.19 - 9.10), respectively, and that of patients receiving supportive care was 2.3 months (95% CI, 0.75 - 4.03). However, the median survival time of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer receiving only palliative chemotherapy was 5.9 months (95% CI, 0.32 - 17.51). Conclusions: The median survival time of patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer treated in the East of Thailand was comparable to those of landmark studies; however, the survival of patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer was shorter than those of Phase III trials. A multidisciplinary team was necessary to improve the quality of patient care.

การปฏิบัติงานของเจ้าหน้าที่ตา รวจในการป้ องกันการเคลื่อนย้ายแรงงานต่างด้าวผิดกฎหมายในภาคตะวันออกของประเทศไทย (Police Operation Concerning Antimigration of Illegal Foreign Workers in the East of Thailand)

Thai Abstract: การวจยครง นมวตถประสงคเพอศกษาความคดเหนของประชาชนตอการปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทตารวจในการปองกนการเคลอนยายแรงงานตางดาวทผดกฎหมายในภาคตะวนออกของประเทศไทยใน 3 จงหวดทางภาคตะวนออก ไดแกจง หวดจนทบร จงหวดตราด และจงหวดระยอง ศกษาระดบความรของประชาชนเกยวกบพระราชบญญตคนเขาเมองพ.ศ.2522 และพระราชบญญตการทางานของคนตางดาว พ.ศ.2551 และศกษาการเปรยบเทยบปจจยสวนบคคลกบความคดเหนของประชาชนตอการปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทตารวจในการปองกนการเคลอนยายแรงงานตางดาวทผดกฎหมาย กลมตวอยางทใชในการวจย คอ ประชาชนทอยในจงหวดจนทบร จงหวดตราด และจงหวดระยอง รวมทง สน300 คน เครองมอทใชในการรวบรวมขอมล คอ แบบสอบถาม การวเคราะหขอมลใชคาสถตพนฐาน ไดแก รอยละคาเฉลย คาสวนเบยงเบนมาตรฐาน และทดสอบสมมตฐานการทดสอบหาคาโดยใช t-test และการวเคราะหความแปรปรวนทางเดยว โดยกา หนดคานยสา คญทางสถตทระดบ .05 ผลการวจย พบวา ภาพรวม ประชาชนมความคดเหนตอการปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทตารวจในการปองกนการเคลอนยายแรงงานตางดาวทผดกฎหมายในภาคตะวนออกของประเทศไทยในระดบมาก ( x =4.39) มค วามรเกยวกบพระราชบญญตคนเขาเมอง พ.ศ.2522 และพระราชบญญตการทา งานของคนตางดาว พ.ศ.2551 ในระดบมาก ผลการทดสอบสมมตฐาน พบวา ประชาชนทมอาย แตกตางกน มความคดเหนตอการปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทตารวจในการปองกนการเคลอนยายแรงงานตางดาวทผดกฎหมายในภาคตะวนออกของประเทศไทยแตกตางกน อยางมนยสาคญทางสถตทระดบ .05 ซงเปนไปตามสมมตฐานทตงไว แตประชาชนทมเพศ ระดบการศกษา ภมลาเนา ระดบความรเกยวกบพระราชบญญตคนเขาเมอง พ.ศ.2522 และระดบความรเกยวกบพระราชบญญตการทางานของคนตางดาว พ.ศ.2551 ทแตกตางกน มความคดเหนตอการปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทตารวจในการปองกนการเคลอนยายแรงงานตางดาวทผดกฎหมายไมแตกตางกน ซงไมเปนไปตามสมมตฐานทตง ไว English Abstract: The objectives of the study were to investigate the people opinion of police operation concerning antimigration of illegal foreign workers in the East such as Ehantaburi, Trat and Rayong Province, to find out the knowledge level of the people concern Immigration Act B.E. 2522 and Foreign Working Act B.E. 2551 and to compare the people opinion toward police operation concerning antimigration of illegal foreign workers in three provices of the East of Thailand. The 300 people residing at the area of Chanthaburi, Trat and Rayong were the sample of the study. The questionnaire was the instrument of the study for collecting data. The percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and one way ANOVA were used as the statistical analysis and used.05 level of statistical significance. The result of the study found that the people opinion of police operation concerning antimigration of illegal foreign workers in the East of Thailand was much level ( x =4.39). The people has the knowledge concerning Immigration Act B.E. 2522 and Foreign Working Act B.E. 2551 were much level. The hypothesis testing found that the different age effected to different opinion toward police operation concerning antimigration of illegal foreign workers in the East of Thailand which accept the hypothesis at.05 level of statistical significance but the different sex, education, domicile, knowledge of Immigration Act B.E. 2522 and knowledge of Foreign Working Act B.E. 2551 effected to nondifferent opinion toward police operation concerning antimigration of illegal foreign workers in the East of Thailand were rejected the hypothesis.

Diversity of Hemerodromia Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Empididae) in Thailand, the tip of a tropical iceberg?

The genus Hemerodromia in Thailand is revised and full descriptions and keys are provided for all 25 species. Twenty new species are recognised: H. alphalutea sp. nov., H. anisoserrata sp. nov., H. anomala sp. nov., H. attenuata sp. nov., H betalutea sp. nov., H. conspecta sp. nov., H. deltalutea sp. nov., H. deminuta sp. nov., H. demissa sp. nov., H. epsilutea sp. nov., H. etalutea sp. nov., H. gammalutea sp. nov., H. isochita sp. nov., H. namtokhinpoon sp. nov., H. ocellata sp. nov., H. oriens sp. nov., H. phahompokensis sp. nov., H. songsee sp. nov., H. systoechon sp. nov. and H. zetalutea sp. nov. Five species known previously from China are recognised: H. acutata Grootaert, Yang & Saigusa, H. flaviventris Yang & Yang, H. furcata Grootaert, Yang & Saigusa, H. fusca Yang & Yang and H. yunnanensis Yang & Yang. Hemerodromia songsee sp. nov. and H. fusca Yang & Yang are also recorded from Vietnam. Distribution maps of all species are presented. Four categories of distribution patterns of apparently endemic species were identified in (1) the northern mountains (2) the northern lowlands (3) the south, and (4) east of Thailand. Some lowland species with wide distributions in eastern Asia were interpreted as 'old Oriental elements'. Other montane species have wide distributions extending between the Himalayas and southeast China. Three lowland species have an apparently obligate association with alkaline, mineralised water courses where tufa deposition was evident. Tufa-linked assemblages of Hemerodromia may indicate a previously unrecognised and potentially diverse habitat for aquatic Empididae in Southeast Asia. Major historical factors determining contemporary distribution patterns were analysed in reference to a Climate History Model (Plant et al. 2012) and included (i) latitudinal migrations in response to climatically induced changes in the distribution of habitat (ii) radiation of high-elevation endemics from more widespread lowland forms (iii) historical connectivity and fragmentation of hydrological networks with possible marooning of taxa in stable tufa spring systems (iv) persistence of lowland forms in climatically 'buffered' stream environments during progressive aridification. Analysis of sampling methodology concluded that hand collecting was 2,000X more efficient at collecting numbers of Hemerodromia with a species discovery rate 775X greater than that with passive trapping methods (Malaise, flight interception and pan traps etc.) although both approaches are needed for full assessment of species richness. Consideration of the climatic, ecological and biogeographic complexity of tropical Southeast Asia suggests that an extremely rich Hemerodromia fauna awaits discovery in the region.

English

The aim of this research is to study the accurate prediction of comparing test information and evaluation result by multidimensional computerized adaptive scholastic aptitude test program used for grade 9 students under different reviewing test conditions. Grade 9 students of the Secondary Educational Service Area Office in the North- east of Thailand, in 2014 academic year were the sample used in this research. The research materials were two test programs: the test program that allows reviewing of answers and the one that does not allow reviewing of answers. The manual of the test program and evaluation form of the multidimensional computerized adaptive scholastic aptitude test program used for grade 9 students in different reviewing test conditions showed that: 1) The test program is an accurate predictor of the students’ achievement, as verbal factor correlates with the students’ achievement in five core subjects. The aptitude tests on number and reasoning correlate with the students’ achievement in Mathematics, science and social science. The aptitude test on space correlates with the students’ achievement in Mathematics and science. 2) The test program has statistical and significant difference at .05 level. 3) The evaluation result of the two test programs has statistical significance at .05 level. Key words: Scholastic aptitude, multidimensional, computerized adaptive test program, test programs.

Optimization of Hydrogen Production from Pickle Bamboo Shoot Wastewater by Rhodopseudomonas palustris TN1

A pickle bamboo shoot is a top marketing product in the East of Thailand, especially Prachinburi province. Vinegar (acetic acid) and sea salt (NaCl) are added during pickle bamboo shoot productions to preserve the color and texture. These high acidity (pH 3-4), high salt concentration (6.0%) and dark-brown color of the pickle bamboo shoot wastewater (PBSW) lead to the difficulty for bioremediation of PBSW treatment. Rhodopseudomonas palustris TN1 was capable of surviving in 3.0% (w v -1 ) NaCl medium and produce hydrogen under anaerobic-light condition. The Aim of this study is to investigate the ability of biohydrogen production in the PBSW by TN1, the effect of initial pH (6.5, 7.0 and 7.5) and light intensities (1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 lux) were performed under anaerobic-light condition. The hydrogen content in biogas using wastewater as the medium was found to be 98.51%. The optimal condition for the highest hydrogen production was pH 7.36 and light intensity of 3,200 lux at room temperature (30±2oC) giving hydrogen 73.57±5.29 mL L -1 and dry cell weight (DCW) of 5.36±0.51 g L -1 within 96 hrs. In conclusion, TN1 can consume the PBSW as a carbon source to produce hydrogen.

Synthesis and Low Thermal Characterization of Local Soil Based-Building Adobe

This work studies the mechanical properties of the soil cement brick and soil cement brick mixed with fly ash from the east of Thailand, Rayong province. The purpose is to develop the new low cost materials used in the local area of Thailand. Results show that the average of the compressive strength and the modulus of rupture (MOR) of soil cement brick mixed with Eastern Rayong fly ash are lower than those of non-fly ash soil cement brick. Also both properties values increase with increasing cured time. However, the thermal conductivity shows the decreasing trend with increasing fly ash content. By conclusion, considered by mechanical properties show that soil cement brick mixed with an Eastern Rayong fly ash can efficiently produce as the structural clay load- bearing tile.

Investigation of Engineering Properties of Quarry Waste in the East of Thailand for Used as Fine Aggregate in Concrete

At the East of Thailand, a shortage of river sand for producing concrete has frequently occurred while the large amounts of quarry dusts are being produced as by-products of stone crushers in many stone quarries. Then, the quarry waste from 12 stone quarries (in Rayong and Chonburi province) was taken to investigate the engineering properties as fine aggregate for concrete. The properties - namely type of parent rock, specific gravity, water absorption, gradation, fineness modulus (F.M.), organic impurities level, powder content, plastic index and sand equivalent value - were examined. The results show that the parent rocks of the samples are limestone, granite and rhyolite. The specific gravity of samples were in the range of 2.61 - 2.77. The gap gradations are found in all samples and the F.M. values slightly exceed the limit of ASTM standard. Absorption of quarry dust is high (around 2 %). Although the high powder contents are found in all samples, the powder in quarry waste is non-plastic and non-organic material. Therefore, gradation and absorption of quarry waste could be carefully considered or improved before using quarry waste as fine aggregate in concrete.

A Comparative Analysis of Smallholders Tapping Practices in Four Rubber Producing Regions of Thailand

Rubber has been grown for long in the South and East of Thailand. Since 2005, rubber plantations have largely spread to new regions, in the North and above all in the Northeast. Tapping is one of the most important practices to optimize the yield of rubber plantations and farmers income [. If tapping practices are well documented in the traditional growing areas [2, , we lack information for the new rubber producing regions. And so far, no study has been done at the level of the country. Therefore, a survey was conducted with 219 rubber farmers from 10 provinces in four rubber producing regions to describe farmers tapping practices. The objective was to compare farmers practices in the different regions and try to identify some standardization or differentiation factors. Results show that tapping systems used by the farmers vary with the region but everywhere, even in the South and Centre east, the real tapping practices are not really intensive. Tapping practices seem to be linked to farmers rubber experience, the size of mature plantation, the rainfall and the length of the leaf-fall period. So finally, tapping days are irregularly distributed throughout the year which probably affects latex physiology and so, the potential yield of rubber plantations.

Development of neural network technique for prediction of PM10 concentration in the industrial area, at the east of Thailand

Development of neural network technique for prediction of PM10 concentration in the industrial area, at the east of Thailand