Walailak University

The growing demand for sustainable construction materials has led to increased research on alternative binders that reduce environmental impact. This study investigates the development and performance of one-part alkali-activated concrete (OPAA) incorporating pulverized rice husk ash (PRHA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and high-chloride contaminated recycled coarse and fine aggregates (RCA, RFA). Using anhydrous sodium metasilicate (ASMS) as the activator, the research focuses on optimizing mechanical and durability properties through statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA). Experimental results demonstrate compressive strengths ranging from 52 to 67 MPa, flexural strengths between 4.13 and 5.25 MPa, and split tensile strengths of 3.19 MPa. The modulus of elasticity (MOE) achieved values between 30.91 and 31.83 GPa, with water absorption rates varying from 0.57% to 2.97%. Durability assessments, including sorptivity, high-temperature resistance, and microstructural analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), confirmed the formation of dense C─ A─ S─ H and N─ A─ S─ H gels, contributing to enhanced mechanical strength and durability. Additionally, thermal stability tests demonstrated that OPAA concrete retains significant compressive strength even after exposure to 600°C, making it suitable for fire-resistant applications. Overall, this study provides a scalable and sustainable solution for reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry while enhancing material performance. The findings support the adoption of alkali-activated concrete as a viable alternative to ordinary portland cement (OPC)-based concrete, contributing to the advancement of green building practices and sustainable infrastructure development. From a sustainability perspective, the study highlights the significant reduction in embodied energy (EE) and embodied carbon dioxide emissions (ECO2e) compared to OPC.

Abstract Background: Large idiopathic full-thickness macular holes (FTMH) with minimum diameter >400 μm carry surgical success rates of approximately 56% with standard vitrectomy and gas tamponade. Novel biologic scaffolds have improved closure rates but are limited by intraoperative handling challenges. We report the first clinical application of thermosensitive injectable decellularized human amniotic membrane (dAM) hydrogel as an intraocular scaffold for large FTMH, with four-month anatomical, functional, and electrophysiological outcomes. Methods: A 62-year-old man with a Gass stage 4 idiopathic FTMH (minimum diameter 572 μm) and preoperative BCVA of 20/200 underwent combined phacoemulsification and 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with ILM peeling. Following fluid-air exchange, dAM hydrogel (10 mg/mL, thermosensitive, prepared by detergent decellularization and pepsin solubilization) was injected via a 25-gauge soft-tip cannula, followed by SF6 gas tamponade. Pre-clinical biocompatibility was confirmed by CCK-8 assay and transwell invasion assay prior to clinical use. Results: At one month, SD-OCT confirmed complete Type 1 anatomical closure and BCVA improved to 20/80. At four months (day 121), BCVA further improved to 20/40+1 (logMAR 0.30), with no metamorphopsia, IOP 12.7 mmHg, and sustained Type 1 closure with progressive ellipsoid zone (EZ) reconstitution on OCT. Multifocal ERG (103 segments) confirmed measurable foveal P1 responses (Ring 1: 34.19 nV/deg²) with normal central N1 implicit time (40.2 ms; normal range 36.8–46.4 ms). No intraocular adverse events occurred at any time point. Conclusions: Injectable dAM hydrogel achieves stable Type 1 FTMH closure with progressive visual and electrophysiological recovery over four months. mfERG evidence of preserved foveal photoreceptor function supports this approach as a feasible and safe biologic scaffold for large FTMH repair. Prospective comparative evaluation is ongoing (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06433284).

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker of bacterial infection and sepsis severity, but its role in melioidosis remains unclear. This study aimed to synthesize available evidence on serum PCT levels in culture-confirmed melioidosis and explore associations with disease severity and mortality. Methods: We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines and registered the protocol with PROSPERO (CRD420251166979). PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched up to 30 October 2025. Observational studies reporting serum PCT levels in microbiologically confirmed melioidosis were included. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies. Random-effects models were used to calculate pooled mean PCT levels, with heterogeneity assessed by I2. Sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the influence of historical and small-sample studies. Results: Seven studies comprising 284 patients with culture-confirmed melioidosis were included. The pooled mean PCT level was 14.46 ng/mL (95% CI: 4.59-24.33), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 87.7%). Sensitivity analyses excluding the oldest study and the smallest sample size reduced heterogeneity but retained consistently elevated PCT levels across cohorts. Higher PCT concentrations were consistently observed among patients with septic shock, bacteremia, and fatal outcomes, although variability in definitions precluded quantitative synthesis of prognostic effect sizes. These findings were based on heterogeneous study-level comparisons and could not be synthesized quantitatively. Conclusions: PCT is markedly elevated in melioidosis and reflects the severity of systemic infection, supporting its potential role as an adjunctive biomarker for early risk stratification. However, substantial heterogeneity and limited sample sizes prevent the establishment of a melioidosis-specific prognostic threshold. Standardized, prospective, multicenter studies are required to clarify the independent prognostic value of PCT in melioidosis management. This study establishes a pooled estimate of serum PCT levels in melioidosis and demonstrates that these values are comparable to those observed in severe bacterial sepsis, supporting its interpretation as a marker of systemic inflammatory burden rather than a disease-specific biomarker.

Research on digital protest often treats visibility and engagement as temporally uniform by aggregating social media activity across extended periods. This approach obscures how political moments shape which messages become widely amplified. Addressing this event-contingent visibility problem, this study examines how event context structures patterns of visibility in protest communication on Twitter within a semi-authoritarian media environment. Using a high-visibility corpus of the most-retweeted tweets from 21 major political protest events in Thailand during 2021, the study combines thematic content analysis with a four-way ANOVA to analyze how event context, content themes, media formats, and posting time interact to shape retweet visibility. Visibility is conceptualized not as a stable behavioral tendency but as a contingent outcome shaped by political salience, affective alignment, and platform affordances. The findings show that event context accounts for the largest share of variance in retweet visibility, while the effects of content themes and media formats are conditional and event-dependent. These results indicate that visible connective action is episodic and that affective amplification operates in context-sensitive ways. The study refines theories of digital protest by conceptualizing visibility as an event-contingent process and highlights the analytical value and limits of high-visibility sampling.

This article examines the cultural construction of gangster identity and local heroism in contemporary Thai society through an analysis of the Khun Phan film trilogy. Drawing on the historical figure of Southern Thai police officer Khun Phantharakratchadech, the films portray Khun Phan as both a mystical warrior and an enforcer of state authority, blending historical memory with folkloric heroism. Using Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, the study argues that Khun Phan regenerates ideological discourse on Thai masculinity, power, and justice from a provincial perspective. Unlike conventional cinematic gangsters, Khun Phan embodies the convergence of institutional authority and personal virtue. The trilogy reconfigures the image of nakleng (gangster) as a moral figure that mediates between state power and grassroots heroism. Khun Phan’s encounters with gangsters across Southern and Central Thailand further reveal shared nakleng virtues, suggesting a cultural identity that transcends regional boundaries within Thai society. The article argues that the trilogy functions simultaneously as a cultural artifact and a form of contemporary political commentary. While it critiques systemic corruption, it also situates Southern Thai masculinity within the national imaginary and rearticulates nakleng as a symbol of moral justice and defiance. Amid growing debates on gender diversity and liberal values, the films ultimately reaffirm a localized masculine ideal grounded in honour, authority, and duty.

Ficus hispida L. f. (F. hispida) is commonly used in traditional medicine for various health problems. No comprehensive analysis of all its components has yet been undertaken, despite researchers having explored its chemical constituents and biological activities. Using untargeted metabolomics, we aimed to assess the chemical compositions and metabolic differences among the five parts of F. hispida: bark, fruits, leaves, twigs, and stalks. To discover the compounds that might be accountable for the noted efficacy, our study assessed the correlation between the identified metabolites and anticancer activities. We applied untargeted metabolomics using UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS to confirm a total of 82 metabolites. These compounds were classified into six phytochemical groups with predominant accumulation in each part: fatty acids and their conjugates (twigs), terpenoids (stalks), phenylpropanoids (bark and twigs), alkaloids (bark and leaves), saccharides and their conjugates (bark), and amino acids and peptides (twigs and stalks). Multivariate analysis showed markedly distinct metabolic patterns across the five tested parts, especially leaf and bark extracts. The sulforhodamine assay (SRB) for the cytotoxicity test revealed that the bark and leaf extracts had the highest potential to inhibit the viability of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells, with IC50 values of 0.71 ± 0.17 µg/mL and 0.82 ± 0.22 µg/mL for KKU-213A, and 0.78 ± 0.13 µg/mL and 1.03 ± 0.21 µg/mL for KKU-055. Univariate analysis revealed that four metabolites, including catharanthine, cianidanol, procyanidin B2, and quinic acid, had significant correlation with these anticancer abilities. Subsequent cytotoxicity studies on these candidate metabolites revealed that catharanthine suppressed CCA cell viability at the IC50 of 41.0 ± 0.99 µM (KKU-213A) and 47.4 ± 4.34 µM (KKU-055) over other candidates. Our research suggests that catharanthine, which is a terpene indole alkaloid found in the bark and leaves of F. hispida, is responsible for the anticancer efficacy against CCA cells.