Long-Term Effects of Taking Refractive Surgery (LASIK) on Thai People

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Nowadays, the number of people who have a visual impairment tends to increase moderately because they spend much more time using smartphones for both work and personal use. The monitors of phones, tablets, and computers have blue light, which directly affects the eyes. Thus, many people need to wear glasses or contact lenses, but not everyone is appropriate to do so. If patients ignore it, their visual impairment might be worse. So, having refractive surgery is one of the popular solutions to grappling with this sight problem. Nevertheless, LASIK may also have negative consequences, such as dry eyes and itchy eyes. Therefore, understanding the risks and being aware of the effects of refractive surgery would greatly impact a person’s choice for eye correction. Consequently, we conducted this survey research using questionnaires in order to determine the long-term effects and satisfaction of taking refractive surgery for Thai patients. Our results show that there are various side effects and different levels of side effects on each person. Therefore, this study will provide guidelines for making the decision to undergo refractive surgery or not.

Cultural Study of Natural Environment Exploitation: Eating Culture of the Joseon People through the Novel “Thousand-Year Kingdom”

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The novel “Thousand-Year Kingdom” by Kim Kyung-uk is based on a true story from history when three Dutch sailors drifted into Joseon in the 17th century. Through the narrative of Jan Jansz Weltevree – the first Westerner to set foot in Joseon-the life, society, and people of Joseon are perceived and described in a fresh and unfamiliar way, different from the evaluations of Koreans or Easterners. This study focuses on investigating the cultural utilization of the natural environment by the Joseon people in this unique literary work to understand the uniqueness of their eating culture.

The Impact of Using Social Media on the Mental Health of Adolescents

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Social media usage has exponentially risen over the past decade, with about 4.26 billion social media users in 2021, and it is projected to increase to almost 6 billion by 2027. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend, leading to a significant increase in social media usage. However, excessive social media use may lead to negative impacts on mental health, such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation. This research aims to investigate the impact of social media on the mental health of Thai teenagers, identify potential correlations between social media use and mental health outcomes, and develop strategies to mitigate the negative effects of social media on mental health. The questionnaires gather the participants’ general information, the effects of utilizing social media, and the social media events that affect their mental health. With a total of 272 respondents, a survey distributed online to high school students from March 26 to May 6 was randomly chosen. According to our study, the type of school has a significant effect on the student’s mental health. This is due to the fact that different high school students use social media in different ways and experience different effects on their mental health in both positive and negative ways. Statistics also reveal that youths in Thailand are more likely to be addicted to social media and use a variety of social media platforms. This study could serve as a guideline for further studies that specifically focus on the kinds of social media platforms used by adolescents and the kinds of content they consume.

Designing Knowledge Management to Sustain Differentiation Business Strategy at CV Fel & Co International

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This research addresses CV Fel & Co Company’s knowledge management challenges in achieving high product quality and uniqueness in the leather goods industry. This thesis focuses on Designing a Knowledge Management (KM) framework to address the knowledge-related challenges faced by CV Fel & Co International, a renowned fashion industry company specializing in producing high-quality leather-based fashion products under the brand name Kias Leather. A combination of primary and secondary data collection methods is employed to achieve this objective. The primary data collection method involves conducting interviews with the CEO and production manager of CV Fel & Co International, providing valuable insights into the specific knowledge-related issues faced by the company. The secondary data is obtained from reliable sources such as industry reports, scholarly articles, and websites, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge management landscape in the leather goods industry. This research adopts a goal-oriented analysis approach, focusing on the KM Process model, which encompasses People, Process, and Technology. The KM Process model provides a framework for effectively managing knowledge within the organization. By aligning people, processes, and technology, CV Fel & Co International can foster a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration, facilitating the creation and utilization of valuable knowledge assets. Additionally, the SECI model is utilized to support the conversion of explicit knowledge into tacit knowledge, promoting continuous learning and innovation within the company, by conducting a comprehensive analysis of CV Fel & Co International’s issues from the company like the increasing number of competitors so the company needs a breakthrough to sustain a differentiation business strategy, human resources require special expertise and can be categorized as old and have knowledge needs and gaps, and lack of standard operating procedures (SOP). A KM Roadmap is developed as a comprehensive solution based on a thorough analysis of CV Fel & Co International’s challenges. The KM Roadmap outlines strategies and actions to effectively manage knowledge and bridge the identified knowledge gaps. It emphasizes the importance of aligning people, processes, and technology to support knowledge sharing and collaboration within the unique context of the leather goods industry. The KM Roadmap includes initiatives such as establishing communities of practice, implementing knowledge-sharing platforms, conducting regular knowledge transfer sessions, and fostering a learning culture through training and development programs. Furthermore, this thesis proposes integrating knowledge management practices into CV Fel & Co International’s business processes, specifically focusing on product design and execution and employee training and development.  By embedding knowledge capture, dissemination, and utilization within the existing processes, CV Fel & Co International ensures that knowledge about design trends, branding strategies, and customer preferences is systematically incorporated into product development and production, enhancing the brand’s reputation and customer satisfaction. This integration enables the seamless flow of knowledge throughout the organization, improving product quality, increased innovation, and enhanced employee expertise. In conclusion, this research proposes a comprehensive KM framework, supported by the KM Roadmap and integrated business processes, to address the knowledge management challenges faced by CV Fel & Co International. By implementing these solutions, the company can enhance its knowledge management practices, bridge knowledge gaps, and sustain a differentiation business strategy in the competitive leather goods industry.

A Study on the Effect of Participating in Tutorial Courses on Happiness During the Summer Break of Thai High School Students in Bangkok

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During the semester break of high school years, one of the most common activities of students is taking tutorial courses, as most students consider this interval to be the preparation time for entering their dream school. The attitude of each student toward tutorial courses is very different; some are very happy to attend, while others are not happy at all. Happiness plays an essential role in high school students’ lives during the summer break since happiness helps students relax and also increases their productivity. Thus, we are curious about the effect of tutorial courses on the happiness of Thai high school students in Bangkok. In order to determine the correlation between these two factors, we decided to conduct a cross-sectional survey. The data was collected by sending questionnaires about the effect of participation in tutorial courses on happiness to students in various high schools in Bangkok. We received a total of 324 respondents, who are from various types of high schools, including public, private, international, and home schools. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The results show no significant relationship between tutorial courses and happiness, which include: 1) the number of tutoring hours taken per day (P-value = 0.342), 2) the duration of the semester breaks (P-value = 0.727), 3) the number of days to take tutorial courses in a week (P-value = 0.319), and 4) the type of tutorial courses taken (P-value = 0.221). This research has most of the respondents studying in public schools and studying in grade 12, so this might be the reason that extra tutorial classes do not affect happiness. This research helps us understand whether there is a relationship between happiness and taking tutorial courses during summer break, and also provides us with information for further research.

Improving a Two-Way Interaction Customer Service Platform in Company X using AHP

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The Covid-19 Pandemic has accelerated mass digitalization in most human activities, including in the construction industry. As a response to the social restriction policy during the pandemic, customers and companies have preferred doing business online. Company X has already launched an online customer service platform that could be maximally used during the social restriction policy. This platform uses SST (Self-Service Technology) to let customers perform their service independently. However, the platform was ineffectively utilized due to a lack of sense of two-way interaction. The stakeholders suggested adding a new feature based on the customer’s aspirations and the company’s considerations. During the development, understanding the relationship between the user and the system must be learned through HCI (Human-Computer Interaction). This research is primarily focused on the factors that affect layout design. The method to obtain a new feature in this customer service platform is using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to minimize inconsistencies while considering the new features.

Improving Demand Management Performance using Knowledge Management Approach in an Oil and Gas Company

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The oil and gas industry has become one of the most important sectors of the global economy, providing energy for transportation, industry and power generation. Indonesia is one of the world’s largest producers of oil and gas and the oil and gas industries have been operating in Indonesia for several decades, contributing to the country’s economic growth and development. PT. COPI, one of the entity in the oil and gas industry which focuses on downstream segment, plays an important role in this industry. However, to anticipate industrial competition, it requires the company to adapt and meet the minimum standards in order to remain competitive, through Continuous Improvement method which is implemented in departments, including Supply Chain Management (SCM) where, through the “Supply Chain Optimization (SCO)” approach, several obstacles are found, including Demand Management Process. This research uses the Knowledge Management (KM) approach to address the obstacles by conducting KM maturity analysis in PT. COPI’s Supply Chain division and perform analysis and evaluation of the current KM practices in order to provide recommendations for improvement. This research uses qualitative methodology to perform data collection, obtained through an interview with the head of Supply Chain Management division of PT. COPI, using Asian Productivity Organization (APO) KM assessment tool which comprises seven APO audit elements: Leadership, Process, People Technology, Knowledge Processes, Learning and Innovation, and KM Outcomes as the baseline for the interview questions. The research shows that KM maturity level of PT. COPI’s Supply Chain division sits at the fourth quadrant of the APO KM Maturity Model, which is refinement. Obstacles are identified from several audit elements of the APO KM assessment tool and marked as an area of improvement. This research provides recommendations for the identified area of improvements using the relevant KM method, which can be implemented by the company to increase their KM Maturity level, increase demand management performance and optimize Supply Chain Management process in the company.

Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Compound by Bacterial Cultures

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In the present study biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) compound Naphthalene by four bacterial cultures Bacillus subtilis PD6, Bacillussp. PD9, Enterobactersp. PD11 and Bacillussp. PD14 has been targeted. Biodegradation of Naphthalene by these four selected bacterial cultures was analysed by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) technique. HPLC analysis revealed biodegradation of naphthalene by all the four bacterial cultures within a span of six days. Highest biodegradation 78.1% has been shown by Bacillus subtilis PD6 while other bacterial cultures Bacillus sp. PD9 has shown 77.90%, Enterobacter sp. PD11 showed 74.4% and Bacillus sp. PD14 exhibited 73.5% biodegradation of naphthalene.

Nootropic Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Zingiber officinale and Centella asiatica on Stress Induced Rats

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Nootropics, natural or synthetic substances that boost brain function and cognitive abilities, were investigated in this study. Specifically, the effects of Zingiber officinale and Centella asiatica extracts were compared to the standard nootropic piracetam. Both plant extracts demonstrated nootropic activity and contained phytochemicals like flavonoids, tannins, and saponins that protect the brain from oxidative damage. Sterols such as stigmasterol inhibiting acetyl CoA esterase activity were also present. Tests were conducted on rats given the extracts or piracetam daily for 7 to 21 days. High and low doses were used. Nootropic effects were measured using elevated plus maze and Morris water maze tests compared to controls. The results were promising: At higher doses, the extracts significantly reduced latency time to 21 ± 0.33 seconds compared to 33.33 ± 0.12 seconds for piracetam and 54 ± 0.08 seconds for controls. This suggests the plant extracts have considerable nootropic potential when administered at higher doses.

Development and Characterization of Solid Dispersion of Rasagilline Mesylate for Improvement of Dissolution Rate Using Hydrophilic Carriers

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The aim of present study was to improve the solubility of Rasagilline mesylate, an Atypical Antipsychotic agent which is BCS Class III drug and thus has very low solubility and hence very poor bioavailability owing to less absorption. Moreover Rasagilline mesylate has a bitter taste. Thus in the present study an attempt was made to taste mask the bitter taste of drug and improve oral bioavailability of drug by formulating the drug into solid dispersion and then formulate the solid dispersions into Fast Dissolving Tablets. Solid Dispersions of Rasagilline mesylate were formulated using various polymers like Plasdone K30, plasdone K90, Eudragit RS100, Eudragit RL 100, Poloxamer 188 and Soluplus in different ratios viz., 1:1 and 1:2 by solvent evaporation method and evaluated for various physicochemical parameters. On the basis of evaluation parameters Solid Dispersion containing Drug : Soluplus :: 1 : 2 was optimized batch having Solubility 1.91 mg/ml, Drug content 102.75 % and % CDR of 98.43 % at 35 mins. For formulating Fast Dissolving Tablets, 32 factorial designs was applied where the batch SD12 and Concentration of Chitosan were taken as dependent variable X1 and X2, respectively and wetting time (sec.) and in vitro disintegration time (sec.) and % CDR were taken as an independent variables. All the formulation prepared by applying experimental design showed more than 93 % drug release in 15 mins. Batch F9 was selected as an optimized batch from the data of overlay plot, drug release kinetics and checkpoint batch. A stability study for optimized formulation was carried out as per ICH guidelines, showed no significant changes in the evaluation parameters. Thus from the study it can be concluded that Fast Dissolving Tablets of Rasagilline mesylate formulated from solid dispersions can provide rapid drug release within a short period of time.