Features
Lung cancer is among the top deadliest and most common cancers in Thailand. Prevention or modifying at-risk behaviors would mitigate this public health crisis just as much as early diagnosis. Tumor markers are released by the body in response to cancer cells or in some cases are released by actual cancer cells. Current biomarkers are being assessed to identify and assess treatment response/therapeutic response and patient’s prognosis, but none has indicated early diagnosis or differentiate lung cancer patients from others with similar symptoms.
Biodiesel is an alternative and renewable fuel to replace diesel fuel for diesel engine. Biodiesel is biodegradable thus creates less pollution to the environment than petroleum.
Fruit farmers typically bait insects by hanging a trap filled with pheromone-soaked cotton ball on a tree. However, because cotton ball contains a large empty space, pheromone evaporates too quickly. For this reason, the bait loses its efficiency especially in hot weather, farmers have to refill the bait frequently facing additional expense. Rubber foam mixture bait on the other hand can effectively control fruit flies and with going through less pheromone by 5-10 times. The method can preserve fruits as long as 90 days compared to 10-15 days in hot weather or 20 days in cool weather when using the traditional cotton ball method. The rubber foam bait method is being experimented by the farmers and in data collection phase to prepare for further entrepreneurial and commercial development.
Biomass power plant has provided an alternative source of power. However, the biomass production produces enormous volume of waste especially fly ash and bottom ash. These ash materials are expensive to manage or eliminate. Experimental studies have been conducted to identify ways to reuse these waste materials, including road building. Both types of ash have similar properties to that of natural materials used in road construction as well as pozzolan, which is used to make concrete as it is an excellent binding material. However, because fly ash and bottom ash contain heavy metals and pollutants, further assessment on the environmental impact together with physiochemical characterization are more than necessary.
The continuing violent conflict in southern Thailand since 2004 has increased anxiety and fear among the citizens of Southern region. The instability effects common citizens and government officers who have had to cope with uncertainty in their daily living – having to withhold any religious rituals or changing commuting route to work for safety and lacking transportation options at a certain time of day due to curfew or unrest, for example. These factors inadvertently cause calamity among psychiatric service provision and delivery.