Groundwater Recharge Potential Using GIS around the Land Development Facilities of Chulalongkorn University at Kaeng Khoi District, Saraburi Province, Thailand

Kaeng Khoi District (Saraburi Province, Thailand) suffers from a surface water shortage due to increasing demand from domestic use and crop production, particularly in the drought season. Groundwater resources are an additional source of freshwater in this area, especially for agricultural purposes, but to be sustainable its usage should not exceed long-term groundwater recharge. Evaluation of the groundwater recharge potential is therefore essential to determine the sustain-able use level for groundwater resources. This study aimed to determine the groundwater recharge potential using the geographic information system (GIS) around the Land Development Facilities of Chulalongkorn University at Kaeng Khoi District, Thailand. The hydrologic and geologic features affecting groundwater recharge potential into the groundwater system are the lineaments, drainage density, lithology and land cover/land use. The weighting of these factors were derived from integration of the interrelationship of the major and minor effects of each contributing factor. Then GIS overlay was used to determine the influence of the hydrologic and geologic effects on total groundwater recharge potentiality, classified into five categories: very high, high, moderate, low and very low. The highest recharge potential zone was located in the downstream areas. The map generated revealed that about 50 % of the study area had a medium groundwater recharge potential, mainly located in the eastern upstream part and the central area

ผลของโปรแกรมสนับสนุนของพยาบาลสำหรับผู้นำวัยรุ่นในการป้องกันการแพร่เชื้อเอชไอวี/เอดส์ทางเพศสัมพันธ์ผ่านทางเครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ต่อพฤติกรรมความตั้งใจในการป้องกันเอชไอวี/เอดส์และการรับรู้ประสิทธิภาพของพฤติกรรมการป้องกันเอชไอวี/เอดส์ในวัยรุ่นที่ติดเชื้อเอชไอวี/เอดส์

Thesis (Ph.D., Nursing (International program))--Prince of Songkla University, 201

Experimental and modelling investigations of tracer transport in variably saturated agricultural soil of Thailand: Column study

Tracer (Bromide) movement through the unsaturated agricultural soil was investigated in soil columns. Two tracer column experiments, with a diameter of 7 cm and a depth of 25 cm, were vertically homogeneous packed with sandy loam and then carried out to investigate bromide (Br−) transport under different water contents (at steady flow condition). One soil column (Column 1) represents the unsaturated agricultural soil in dry season (with water content ranging from 0.23 to 0.26) and the other (Column 2) represents the soil in wet season (water content from 0.24 to 0.35). Bromide samples were periodically collected by vacuum tubes inserted at 6.25 cm equally spaced intervals (e.g., 6.25, 12.5, 18.75 and 25 cm) along the length of the column and the effluent collected at the end of the column. The observed breakthrough curves (BTCs) of bromide in both columns represented a relative smooth and sigmodal curves at different distances (sampling ports). Dispersivity (α, cm) for sandy loam at different locations was numerically estimated by curve fitting the experimental data with HYDRUS-1D. The α can be well described by the convection–dispersion equation and these values derived from Column 1 (ranging from 0.37 to 0.98 cm) are more than those from Column 2 (0.25–0.59). Moreover, the α in both columns increases with the travel distance due to the scale-dependent effect. Furthermore, the α values were plotted on a log–log scale against travel distances and they yield empirical power law relationships with an excellent correlation (α = 0.102 (L)0.697, R2 = 0.999 and α = 0.086 (L)0.579, R2 = 0.963 for Column 1 and 2, respectively)

Blood haematology, muscle pH and serum cortisol changes in pigs with different levels of drip loss

Objective An experiment was conducted to study the blood haematology, muscle pH, and serum cortisol changes in pigs with different levels of drip loss. Methods Two groups (low and high) of 20 animals were selected from 100 pigs based on drip loss. All [Duroc× (Large White×Landrace)] pigs were slaughtered according to standard slaughtering procedures. At exsanguinations, blood samples were taken for the haematological parameters and serum cortisol analysis. The muscle samples were taken from longissimus dorsi muscle to evaluate the muscle pH and drip loss. Results Haematological parameters of low drip loss group showed higher content of white blood cells and monocytes than high drip loss group (p0.05). Conclusion Drip loss is mainly affected by the muscle pH decline after slaughter and also might be affected by white blood cells and monocytes

In vitro and in vivo assessment of inhibitory effect of stevioside on pro-inflammatory cytokines

Objective: Stevioside is a natural non-caloric sweetener which has been reported to have anti-inflammatory activity.  The aim of  the present study was to examine in vitro and in vivo effects of  stevioside on rats  plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α),  interleukin-1β (IL-1β), TNF-α and IL-1β release from lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated rat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Materials and Methods: Male wistar rats weighing between 170-220 g were given stevioside (0, 500 and 1000 mg/kg BW/day) for 6 weeks. Mononuclear cells were separated from peripheral blood samples.  TNF-α and IL-1β levels in plasma and the release of TNF-α and IL-1β from PBMCs were determined using rat enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Results:  Plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were found to be non-detectable in control and groups treated with 500 and 1000 mg/kg of stevioside.  Regarding TNF-α release from LPS-stimulated    PBMCs, rats that were orally fed with 500 and 1000 mg/kg of stevioside were significantly different (

Genetic Association and Expression of JHDM1A Gene Related to Meat pH in Commercial Pigs

An experiment was conducted to study the association and expression of JHDM1A gene as a candidate gene for meat quality. The polymorphism was genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using restriction enzyme on a total of 300 muscle samples of [Duroc × (Large White × Landrace)] pigs. Results showed that JHDM1A gene was significantly associated with meat pH 45 min post-mortem (p.m.) (p<0.05). Allele frequencies for G and C were 0.53 and 0.47. The genotype frequencies for GG, GC, and CC were 0.24, 0.58, and 0.18, respectively. The Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) study were analyzed between low and high pH 45 min p.m. groups (n=10 per group) according to the association result. JHDM1A expression was higher in animals with a low post-mortem meat pH 45 min (p<0.05). Therefore, polymorphism and expression in the porcine JHDM1A gene might be the important candidate genes to improve meat quality traits in terms of meat pH

Impacts of land-use changes on watershed discharge and water quality in a large intensive agricultural area in Thailand

<p>The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of land-use change on streamflow, sediment and water quality data along the Lower Yom River, Thailand, covering an intensively agricultural area of 14 613.6 km², and to assess the relative impact of point and non-point sources of pollution from multiple-land-use watersheds. Long-term calibration and validation of the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was performed on data for 2000–2013. Land-use change led to a 13–49% increase in runoff in the basin and resulted in 37–427% increased sediment yield. The amount of NO₃-N load doubled in the upper and middle parts of the study area, while the increase in PO₄^3– ranged from 37 to 377%, reflecting the increase in agricultural lands and urban areas. It is concluded that the changed land use is closely associated with the quantity of runoff, sediment yield and the NO₃-N and PO₄^3– concentrations.</p

Isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the expression of toll-like receptors in Betong chickens

Background and Aim: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) comprise microbial sensing receptors present on cell surfaces that are capable of detecting pathogens. The present study aims to examine the expression of TLRs within the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) of the Betong chickens. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were harvested from 12 Betong (KU line) chickens. Hematological values were calculated. PBMC was isolated from the blood utilizing a Histopaque solution and stored in a RPMI1640 culture medium. Cell viability was investigated using a Trypan Blue dye exclusion test. DNA was extracted from PBMC and the expression of the DNA's TLRs was examined using a polymerase chain reaction. Results: Hematological values were determined from the blood samples collected in this study obtained from healthy Betong chickens. PBMC that was isolated from the Betong chickens possessed cell viability higher than 95% (95.37±1.06). From the examination of TLRs gene expression, results revealed instances of TLR1.1, TLR1.2, TLR2.1, TLR2.2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, TLR 7, TLR15, and TLR21 that were present in the PBMC of Betong chickens. Conclusion: PBMC isolated from the blood of healthy Betong chickens possessed excellent cell quality. All chicken TLRs were discovered within the PBMC of Betong chickens. Hence, PBMC stands out as one of the premier sources for in vitro studies of chicken immune response