The Study of Factors Influence Organizational Performance: Evidences from Companies in the Lower Northern Region of Thailand

A dynamic business environment is focused on corporate profit and performance. Consequently, managers need strategically relevant information to formulate and implement business strategies in order to achieve business growth and survive in the uncertain environment of the economy. The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction effects of environmental uncertainty and strategic management accounting on organizational performance. The configurations are derived from a sample of 166 medium and large firms in the Lower Northern Region of Thailand. A quantitative method is used for data collection through a survey design approach using a questionnaire. Contingency theory are employed in this study. The results indicate that a fit between environmental uncertainty and strategic management accounting has a positive direct relationship with organizational performance. Moreover, a higher level of environmental uncertainty will improve organizational performance. While previous studies have not addressed the interactive linkage much, this study provides evidence on how key factors can interact to promote organizational performance

Bioherbicide use of plant defensive compounds in meadowfoam seed meal

Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba Hartw. ex Benth) seed meal (MSM), a by-product of meadowfoam oil extraction, has a plant defensive compound known as glucosinolate glucolimnanthin (GLN). Myrosinase enzymes present in soil microbes and meadowfoam seeds can convert GLN to glucosinolate breakdown products (GBPs), which demonstrate herbicidal activity and have the potential to be used as bioherbicides. The goals of this research were to evaluate the effectiveness of MSM on weed control and to explore the optimal timing, rate, and application method for further use of MSM as a bioherbicide. Adding active myrosinase from freshly ground meadowfoam seeds to MSM increased its phytotoxicity. In a greenhouse study, no lettuce emergence was observed for six days in soil amended with 3% by weight activated MSM. In a field application, MSM provided a nitrogen source and promoted lettuce growth when lettuce seedlings were transplanted seven days after MSM incorporation. Co-occurrence of herbicide and fertilizer effects was observed with all MSM concentrations. MSM concentrations of 5% and 7% provided greater weed emergence suppression than the 3% concentration but no difference in weed biomass was observed between MSM concentrations. A split MSM application resulted in a significant benefit for weed control, similar to a single MSM application; however for the split application, the concentration and time should be adjusted to prevent residual crop injury. Activated MSM inhibited spiny sowthistle (Sonchus asper (L.) Hill) greater than 95% for emergence and 80% for biomass compared to the untreated control. Soil microbes reallocated carbon input from MSM application to biomass and enzyme production. The reallocation occurred quickly, within 7 to 14 days, after MSM application. Microbial biomass increased by at least 85% for carbon and 95% for nitrogen with MSM application compared to the untreated control. β-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity was highly correlated with microbial biomass nitrogen and was involved in the acquisition of nitrogen from organic sources. Isothiocyanate showed potent herbicidal activity and was detected only in activated MSM. 3-Methoxyphenylacetic acid (MPAA), a previously unidentified GBP with herbicidal activity, was discovered in soil amended with non-activated and activated MSM. A single MSM application at 2.86 kg m⁻² as a pre-emergent soil amendment benefited crop yield, weed suppression, and soil carbon and nitrogen inputs

Molecular basis of target-site resistance to acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides in mayweed chamomile (Anthemis cotula L.)

Mayweed chamomile (Anthemis cotula L.) is an annual weed in the Asteraceae family that is commonly found in fields of the Pacific Northwest. Acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides are frequently used to control a broad spectrum of weed species including mayweed chamomile. Seeds of four biotypes of mayweed chamomile (KJ, KL1, KL2, and GW) suspected to be resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides were collected from different fields in Washington State, USA. Seeds from a susceptible (S) biotype of mayweed chamomile collected in Oregon were used as the control in all the experiments. Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine if the biotypes were resistant to four chemistry classes of ALS-inhibiting herbicides which were sulfonylureas (SU), imidazolinones (IMI), pyrimidinylthio-benzoate (PTB), and sulfonylamino-carbonyltriazolinone (SCT). A whole-plant dose-response assay confirmed cross-resistance to thifensulfuron+tribenuron (SU) and imazethapyr (IMI) in resistant biotypes. There were high levels of resistance to thifensulfuron+tribenuron and moderate to low levels of resistance to imazethapyr. Propoxycarbazone (SCT) and cloransulam (TP) were applied at the recommended field rate. All resistant biotypes had moderate levels of resistance to propoxycarbazone while biotypes GW and KJ had moderate and low levels of resistance to and cloransulam, respectively. The resistance also was confirmed using an in vitro ALS assay. The herbicide concentrations that inhibited ALS activity by 50% (I50) in the resistant biotypes were between 26- and 289-fold greater than in the S biotype for thifensulfuron+ tribenuron; 2- to 5-fold greater for imazethapyr; 3- to 18-fold greater for propoxycarbazone; and 4- to 18-fold greater for cloransulam. Once resistance was confirmed, the ALS gene was sequenced to determine if mutations occurred in the target-site. At least two ALS isoforms of ALS gene (ALS1 and ALS2) were found in the mayweed chamomile biotypes. No mutations were observed in ALS2. The target-site mutations conferring the resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides were likely in ALS1. Sequence analysis of the ALS1 gene identified four point mutations (Pro197 to Leu, Gln, Thr or Ser) at position 197 in the resistant biotypes. Homozygous and heterozygous resistance and the existence of two different mutant ALS alleles were found in resistant biotypes. The ALS-resistant alleles and genotypes in resistant biotypes were diverse and related to the cross-resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides

Seed morphology and allelopathy of invasive Praxelis clematidea

Praxelis [Praxelis clematidea (Griseb.) R.M.King & H.Rob.] is an invasive species that infests many agricultural systems globally, such as orchards, rubber plantations, and other economic crops. The purpose of this research was to study seed morphology, germination factors, and allelopathy of aboveground parts of P. clematidea. P. clematidea seeds are small, light, and possess pappi that allow them to be dispersed easily by wind or animals. Among four P. clematidea populations collected from different provinces in Thailand, the size of P. clematidea seeds ranged from 2.6 to 3.2 mm in length, 0.6 to 0.7 mm in width, and were 0.4 mm in thickness. The weight of P. clematidea seeds ranged from 0.13 to 0.21 mg. P. clematidea had about 44 to 48 seeds per head. Seeds germinated over a temperature range of 20 to 30 °C while high (45 °C) and low (10 °C) temperatures reduced germination. Maximum germination occurred when seeds were planted on the soil surface. No seedlings germinated when seeds were planted at a depth more than 1 cm. P. clematidea extracts from aerial plant parts at concentrations of 25 and 50% inhibited seedling growth of hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa L.). Basic knowledge of the seed biology of P. clematidea and allelochemicals can help in understanding the invasiveness and in developing management strategies for this weed

Modern Management Accounting Practices for Large Manufacturing Enterprise in Lower Northern Provinces Group I Thailand

The rapidly increasing global and technological changes have given rise to the need of changing enterprise management. Therefore, modern management accounting practices (MAPs) are important for the enterprise and its manager to support the decision-making process, improve management activity, and help the operation effectively. Generally, the larger the organization, the greater the management's need for information. This work studies the modern MAPs that the enterprise applies, including barriers to the adoption. A descriptive study was performed in 10 large manufacturing enterprises in the lower northern provinces group I Thailand. Structured questionnaires and in-depth qualitative interviews with manager/ owner show that most large manufacturing enterprises are low level to apply for modern MAPs. Most large manufacturing enterprises prefer to use part of target costing, balanced scorecard, quality cost, and environmental management. All firms do not implement activity-based management and product life cycle costing. A few firms used the theory of constraint and just-in-time. Although those modern MAPs have not been fully applied and some modern MAPs are rarely or never used, managers are trying to apply modern MAPs slowly. However, the study also indicated that the managers have moderate satisfaction on current modern MAPs for decision making. Moreover, this study revealed that the key barriers limiting the implementation of modern MAPs were lack of employee skills/ training/ consultant about modern practices, high cost to implement, and no significant problems with current practices, respectively

A Comparative study of Wear and tool life of HSS TiN coated end mills and WC uncoated end mills

The objective of this research is to compare the performance and economic value of TiN coated end mills and WC end mills on S45C slot milling. The commercial end mills that produce and provide by SAN Engineering and Supply Co., Ltd. and commercial S45C steels, were selected for this investigation. The models of wear were analyzed by the scanning electron microscope, SEM. The result showed that the wear models of the TiN coated end mills are abrasive and surface peeling, while the wear models of WC end mills are adhesive and uniform micro-chipping on the cutting edges. The analysis the economic value also represented that WC end mills are worth more than the others

Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification for rapid detection of sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii

Background and Aim: Sporothrix schenckii is the causative agent of sporotrichosis, which most commonly causes lymphocutaneous infections in immunocompromised hosts. This pathogen infects dogs, cats, cattle, and buffaloes and can potentially infect humans. Diagnosis by fungal culture is lengthy, and although there are several clinical diagnoses and molecular methods, these are complicated and time-consuming for veterinarians. This study aimed to develop a visual diagnostic assay that is less time-consuming and can be used by veterinarians to screen for sporotrichosis. Materials and Methods: To develop a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for sporotrichosis, primers specific for fragments of the 18S rRNA gene of S. schenckii were designed. Then, the time and temperature were optimized to successfully achieve LAMP. Ten-fold serial dilutions of DNA were used to determine the detection limit using both LAMP and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) assays. Results: The optimal LAMP conditions were incubation at 73°C for 30 min. Agarose gel electrophoresis revealed a ladder-like pattern of the LAMP product, and a sky-blue color indicated a positive result. A comparison of the LAMP assay with nPCR revealed that it was 10 times more sensitive than nPCR, with a detection limit of 10 pg. The use of a heat box compared with a thermocycler gave the same results. Conclusion: Loop-mediated isothermal amplification gives good results and may represent a future alternative diagnostic tool for screening fungal pathogens before the results of conventional fungal cultures are received. However, this method should be further studied to clarify its use with clinical samples

Clinical field trial of parenteral amoxicillin for the treatment of clinical and subclinical mastitis in smallholder dairy farms in the upper region of Northern Thailand

Background and Aim: Mastitis, primarily caused by intramammary bacterial infection, is the most expensive disease in the global dairy industry due to its negative impact on milk composition and manufacturing properties. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of parenteral amoxicillin in the treatment of clinical and subclinical mastitis in smallholder dairy farms in Northern Thailand. Materials and Methods: A total of 51 cows with clinical and subclinical mastitis from dairy cooperatives in Lamphun and Chiang Mai provinces, Northern Thailand, were enrolled in this study. Conventional bacteriological procedures were applied to identify the causative bacteria in milk samples from these cows before and 7 days after treatment, and antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted using the disk diffusion method for all bacteria isolated before treatment. All cows with mastitis were administered 15 mg/kg of amoxicillin (LONGAMOX®, Syva Laboratories SA, Spain) intramuscularly every other day for 3 days. Results: Environmental streptococcal bacteria (Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus spp.) were commonly isolated from infected quarters and were highly susceptible to amoxicillin (100%). The clinical efficacy of amoxicillin treatment for clinical mastitis cases was 80.43%, and the bacteriological efficacy was 47.82%, with opportunistic staphylococcal bacteria (coagulase-negative staphylococci) and contagious streptococcal bacteria (Streptococcus agalactiae) being the most sensitive microorganisms (100%). In subclinical mastitis cases, the bacteriological efficacy of parenteral amoxicillin was 70.45%, with environmental streptococcal bacteria (S. uberis) being the most (100%) sensitive microorganisms. Conclusion: Amoxicillin is highly efficacious and can be used to treat clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows, particularly mastitis caused by environmental Streptococcus spp. These findings could be used to guide treatment regimens in veterinary practice in smallholder dairy farms in Thailand

Mammalian sperm capacitation: In vivo and in vitro juxtaposition

The development of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in mammalian species such as in vitro embryo production (IVEP) has the potential to provide great benefits for significant population increase, improve genetic performance and advancement, and reduce transmission of venereal diseases. Correspondingly, in vitro capacitation of sperm is also paramount, related to the ability of sperm to fertilize oocytes, and was created to imitate in vivo conditions in the female reproductive tract. Amid in vitro capacitation developments, studies on how far in vitro capacitation has progressed in mimicking in vivo scenes have not been thoroughly reviewed as a comparative form. Therefore, the present study outlined the series of alterations in mammalian sperm capacitation during their journey in the female reproductive tract by exploring and juxtaposing processes under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Several essential aspects that become gaps between in vivo and in vitro were also identified and elaborated comprehensively in this systematic literature review. We noted that although in vitro capacitation procedures in certain mammalian species have made promising progress and improvements, it is still poorly successful in other species like horses. Our findings further postulated that the occurrence of cryocapacitation, the high ratio of capacitated sperm/oocyte required for successful fertilization, and the incidence of polyspermy cause capacitation under in vitro settings is less efficient and not yet fully comparable to in vivo. This work is therefore proposed several aspects that need to be bettered from in vitro milieu to make it analogous to in vivo environments in modulating sperm capacitation

Occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing E. coli in broiler farm workers and the farm environment in Chiang Mai-Lamphun, Thailand

Antimicrobial resistance has become a major global public health threat. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli appears as an emergence cause of treatment failure and increase mortality due to limited available effective antimicrobial agents. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of ESBL producing E. coli in broilers, farm workers and environment in broiler farms in Chiang Mai-Lamphun, Thailand. The prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli in the broiler farms was 60.4% (29/48). The prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli from boot swabs, farm worker’s rectal swabs, feed and water samples were 43.8%, 55.7%, 12.5% and 2.1%, respectively. All isolates showed susceptible to imipenem and, in contrast, resistant to ampicillin. The results demonstrated high antimicrobial resistant rate to streptomycin (94.3%), gentamicin (86.8%), tetracycline (77.4%), chloramphenicol (66.0%), nalidixic acid (58.5%), and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (56.6%). High percentage (96.2%) of isolates was classified as multidrug resistance (MDR). Thirty-five antimicrobial resistance profiles were identified with AMP-GEN-SXT-NAL-TET-CHL-STR, AMP-GEN-SXT-TET-CHL-STR (14.3%) as the 2 most prevalent profiles. The common resistance profiles between farm workers and broilers was demonstrated. These findings are suggestive for possible transmission between poultry and humans in broiler farms, most likely via close contact. Antimicrobial usage should be strictly controlled together with increase awareness on hygiene practices in broiler farms