Development not drug control: the evolution of counter narcotic efforts in Thailand

In the 1960s, Thailand was the biggest opium producing country in the world. This article presents Thailand’s evolving strategy in solving the problem of illicit poppy cultivation through poverty alleviation and long-term national development. It argues that the root causes of drug crop cultivation and proliferation are poverty, insecurity, and the lack of livelihood opportuni- ties for marginalized communities. Thus, the problem is more a ‘development problem’ rather than a ‘drug problem,’ requiring the addressing of multi-dimensional human development facets in response to the geo-socio-economic conditions of the area. The “Thai approach” is focused on improving the overall well-being of communities, before rule of law can be strengthened, and is very importantly part of long-term broader national development plans. A brief close-up is provided of an example of Thailand’s long-term development project, the Doi Tung Develop- ment Project, to explain more concretely how Thailand’s approach to solve drug crop production translated into practice. Some of these lessons learned from Thailand can and have been shared with the international community in shaping attitudes and policies to drugs and development that are more people-centered, balanced, and sustainable

Origin and spread of rice cultivation within the Yangtze River Valley, southern China

The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of the origin and spread of rice cultivation within the Yangtze River Valley. The region of eastern China, particularly the Yangtze River is thought to be the point of origin for rice cultivation and domestication, among many other theories. The data came from assemblages from various sites in Southeastern and central China. The oldest dates are associated with rice husks and grains being used as pottery temper, dated to 9500 ? 500 years B.P. According to one theory Oryza rufipogon evolved into O. sativa japonica and O. sativa indica. However research on the genetics from O. sativa indica indicated that this subspecies could be the result of hybridization between wild rice and O. s. japonica

The art of Srivijaya.

xiii, 68 p.; 28 cm

The Examination of Local And Foreign Customer’s Brand Loyalty Toward Five-Star Hotels in Bangkok

Purpose: In Bangkok’s highly competitive hotel industry, hotel operators seek to retain a good relationship with customers by understanding the factors influencing their brand loyalty. This study examines the causal relationship between advanced information and communication technology (ICT), perceived quality (tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy), brand awareness, brand image, and brand loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology: The questionnaire was used as a tool to collect the data from 500 respondents who are local and foreign guests of the top 5 five-star hotel brands located in Bangkok, Thailand. Content validity was applied using the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC). Then, the pilot test was assessed by Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data. Results: The results show that ICT significantly influences perceived quality, brand image, and brand loyalty. Perceived quality significantly influences brand image but not brand awareness and brand loyalty. Furthermore, there is a causal relationship between brand image, brand awareness, and brand loyalty. Conclusions: This paper incorporates the factors that regulate brand loyalty in marketing literature and provides competitive strategies for hotel managers to increase brand loyal customers.&nbsp

mirRICH, a simple method to enrich the small RNA fraction from over-dried RNA pellets

<p>Techniques to isolate the small RNA fraction (<200nt) by column-based methods are commercially available. However, their use is limited because of the relatively high cost. We found that large RNA molecules, including mRNAs and rRNAs, are aggregated together in the presence of salts when RNA pellets are over-dried. Moreover, once RNA pellets are over-dried, large RNA molecules are barely soluble again during the elution process, whereas small RNA molecules (<100nt) can be eluted. We therefore modified the acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform (AGPC)-based RNA extraction protocol by skipping the 70% ethanol washing step and over-drying the RNA pellet for 1 hour at room temperature. We named this novel small RNA isolation method “mirRICH.” The quality of the small RNA sequences was validated by electrophoresis, next-generation sequencing, and quantitative PCR, and the findings support that our newly developed column-free method can successfully and efficiently isolate small RNAs from over-dried RNA pellets.</p