Showing papers by "Mahidol University International College published in 2021"

Plagiarism in the age of massive Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT-3)

Abstract: As if 2020 was not a peculiar enough year, its fifth month saw the relatively quiet publication of a preprint describing the most powerful natural language processing (NLP) system to date — GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer-3) — created by the Silicon Valley research firm OpenAI. Though the software implementation of GPT-3 is still in its initial beta release phase, and its full capabilities are still unknown as of the time of this writing, it has been shown that this artificial intelligence can comprehend prompts in natural language, on virtually any topic, and generate relevant original text content that is indistinguishable from human writing. Moreover, access to these capabilities, in a limited yet worrisome enough extent, is available to the general public. This paper presents examples of original content generated by the author using GPT-3. These examples illustrate some of the capabilities of GPT-3 in comprehending prompts in natural language and generating convincing content in response. I use these examples to raise specific fundamental questions pertaining to the intellectual property of this content and the potential use of GPT-3 to facilitate plagiarism. The goal is to instigate a sense of urgency, as well as a sense of present tardiness on the part of the academic community in addressing these questions.

SnO2-graphene composite gas sensor for a room temperature detection of ethanol.

Abstract: In ethanol production, it is useful to monitor the state of fermentation using a sensor that provides real-time measurement but does not disturb the process. We propose here a tin oxide (SnO2)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite chemiresistive sensor that can be operated on low power and installed in a compact area for the monitoring of ethanol vapor. The sensor exhibited outstanding sensing responses to 29-145 ppm ethanol vapor, providing a sensitivity of 12 ppm-1, a response time of 123 ± 6, recovery time of 128 ± 42 s, and a limit of detection of 3 ppm. The sensor showed good selectivity to ethanol over carbon dioxide, acetic acid and water vapor. The sensing mechanism of the sensor relies on the reaction of ethanol vapor and chemisorbed oxygen species in which the reaction rate increases due to an abundance of the chemisorbed oxygen within n-p heterojunctions of SnO2-rGO.

Traveller-generated destination image: Analysing Flickr photos of 193 countries worldwide

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to introduce a method that utilises a combination of Google Cloud Vision AI's label detection and a topic-modelling algorithm, latent Dirichlet allocation, to identify common destination images and to compare destinations worldwide The study analyses 283,912 photos of 193 countries from Flickr com, and 16 cognitive image attributes (CIAs) are identified Subsequent hotspot analyses indicate the exact locations of these CIAs in three sample countries: France, the US, and Thailand Destination marketing organisations (DMOs) can use this method to more effectively analyse and promote destinations during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Exploring multi-quality attributes of airports and the asymmetric effects on air traveller satisfaction: The case of Thai International Airports

Abstract: Within the context of Thai international airports, the purpose of this study is twofold. First, to examine the asymmetric effect of airport quality attributes in the airport terminal on passenger satisfaction from the perspective of Thai travellers. Second, to prioritise the attributes into categories on the basis of impact–range performance analysis (IRPA) and impact asymmetry analysis (IAA). An online survey (n = 879) was conducted via convenience and snowball sampling. The findings indicate that an airport has multiple attributes that yield dynamic effects on air traveller satisfaction. In addition, IRPA and IAA enable researchers and industry practitioners to classify these attributes into five categories, namely frustrator, dissatisfier, hybrid, satisfier and delighter. The findings also suggest that seven out of 10 attributional domains, derived from the selected Thai international airports, reflect both asymmetric and symmetric characteristics, whilst only three domains, namely flight information screens, passenger facilities and immigration, show only asymmetric effects. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Image in Times of Crisis: The Mediating Role of Customer Trust.

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to empirically examine relationships between a multi-dimensional set of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, numerous dimensions of customer trust, and corporate image in an emerging economy. It also analyzes the mediating effect of customer trust on the relationship between CSR and corporate image. This study focuses on two of the most well-known hotel chains situated in Pakistan. Close-ended, self-administered questionnaires were circulated amongst a total of 300 hotel customers. The research data was analyzed using a partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) model. The results revealed that economic, legal, and ethical CSR significantly impacted corporate image, while philanthropic CSR did not affect the corporate image. However, economic, legal, and philanthropic CSRs were found to be in a significant relationship with customer trust, while ethical CSR was not in a significant relationship with customer trust. Finally, customer trust fully mediated the relationship between economic and legal CSR with corporate image, whereas it partially mediated the relationship between ethical and philanthropic CSR. This study is unique from earlier CSR research based on an assessment of the connection between CSR dimensions and corporate image to examine customers' trust in an emerging economy, especially in times of crisis.

‘We and our stories’: Constructing food experiences in a UNESCO gastronomy city

Abstract: The experiential elements of food tourism can be transformed into meaningful experiences of local food heritage and identity in the context of a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. From a local sta...

Development of an engineered peptide antagonist against periostin to overcome doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer.

Abstract: Chemoresistance is one of the main problems in treatment of cancer. Periostin (PN) is a stromal protein which is mostly secreted from cancer associated fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment and can promote cancer progression including cell survival, metastasis, and chemoresistance. The main objective of this study was to develop an anti-PN peptide from the bacteriophage library to overcome PN effects in breast cancer (BCA) cells. A twelve amino acids bacteriophage display library was used for biopanning against the PN active site. A selected clone was sequenced and analyzed for peptide primary structure. A peptide was synthesized and tested for the binding affinity to PN. PN effects including a proliferation, migration and a drug sensitivity test were performed using PN overexpression BCA cells or PN treatment and inhibited by an anti-PN peptide. An intracellular signaling mechanism of inhibition was studied by western blot analysis. Lastly, PN expressions in BCA patients were analyzed along with clinical data. The results showed that a candidate anti-PN peptide was synthesized and showed affinity binding to PN. PN could increase proliferation and migration of BCA cells and these effects could be inhibited by an anti-PN peptide. There was significant resistance to doxorubicin in PN-overexpressed BCA cells and this effect could be reversed by an anti-PN peptide in associations with phosphorylation of AKT and expression of survivin. In BCA patients, serum PN showed a correlation with tissue PN expression but there was no significant correlation with clinical data. This finding supports that anti-PN peptide is expected to be used in the development of peptide therapy to reduce PN-induced chemoresistance in BCA.

Towards a comprehensive understanding of football stadium tourism

Abstract: Whereas stadium tourism is a growing area within sports tourism, football stadium tourism remains underexplored Existing research largely focuses on match-day or heritage experiences, drawing on s

Halogen bond-induced electrophilic aromatic halogenations.

Abstract: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in utilising halogen bonds in organic synthesis, especially in aromatic halogenation reactions. N-Halosuccinimides and 1,3-dihalo-5,5-dimethylhydantoins are popular sources of halonium ions due to their ease of handling and low toxicities. Traditionally, these N-haloimides are activated by electrophiles, namely Bronsted and Lewis acids. The recent discovery of possible activation by nucleophilic Lewis base catalysts led to a paradigm shift in aromatic halogenation. Active functional motifs in Lewis base catalysts such as CS, R–S–R1, Ar–S–S–Ar, SO, Ar–NH2, and R2NH+Cl− form halogen bonds with the positively charged σ-hole of the halogen atoms: an essential interaction to produce halonium ions. This review highlights the evolution of the two modes of activation. Evidence of halogen bond formation from mechanistic studies of nucleophilic activation is also discussed herein.

The prevalence of the azygos lobe: A meta-analysis of 1,033,083 subjects.

Abstract: The azygos lobe (AL) is an accessory lobe of the right lung with prevalence between 0.4 and 1.2%. The aim of the present review is to provide a better estimate of the frequency of the AL and to examine its relationships with other variables such as population, diagnostic methods, and co-occurring illnesses. Studies published between 1899 and October 2020 were searched through three electronic databases; Google Scholar, PubMed, and JSTOR. Titles, abstracts, and full texts of the retrieved entries were screened to determine their appropriateness for inclusion. A total of 88 studies relating to 1,033,083 subjects met the inclusion criteria. A random-effects meta-analysis yielded an overall prevalence of 0.30% (95% CI: 0.0024-0.0035, I2 = 97.9%). Linear regression and subgroup analysis revealed a negative correlation (ρ = -0.540, p <0.001) between AL prevalence and sample size; studies with smaller sample sizes had higher prevalences. The AL prevalence in individuals with congenital pulmonary defects, 5.2% (95% CI: 0.0018-0.0086, I2 = 0%), was 17 times higher than the overall prevalence (z = 6.65, p <0.001), suggesting associations with other abnormalities and possibly a genetic predisposition. In addition to an evidence-based synthesis of AL prevalence, this study demonstrates publication bias and small-study effects in the anatomy literature. Awareness of the AL is crucial for radiologists when they interpret unusual radiological findings and for surgeons when they operate in the region.

The prevalence of anconeus epitrochlearis muscle and Osborne's ligament in cubital tunnel syndrome patients and healthy individuals: An anatomical study with meta-analysis.

Abstract: Background Anconeus epitrochlaeris muscle and Osborne's ligament are anatomical variants that are occasionally found at the cubital tunnel of the elbow. In certain individuals, these two structures may compress the ulnar nerve resulting in a cubital tunnel syndrome. Although these variants have been reported extensively, its prevalence is still unclear and its contribution to cubital tunnel syndrome is debatable. The aim of this study is to generate weighted frequency values of the anconeus epitrochlearis and Osborne's ligament, as well as to identify any association of these two structures with gender, side, ethnicity and the development of cubital tunnel syndrome. Methods An anatomical study and a meta-analysis were performed to more accurately study the prevalence of anconeus epitrochlearis and Osborne's ligament. A total of 40 original studies including the present study met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis and 6 case reports for descriptive analysis. Results Crude pooled prevalence estimate of the anconeus epitrochlearis was significantly higher (p Conclusion The present study provides a more accurate estimate of anconeus epitrochlearis across the populations. There was a negative correlation between the presence of anconeus epitrochlearis and the development cubital tunnel syndrome, supporting the idea that the muscle may be protective against cubital tunnel syndrome. Future studies are needed to give proper definition of Osborne's ligament and accurately study its prevalence across populations.

Is growth in entrepreneurial activity truly beneficial for a prosperous and equitable economy

Abstract: This study attempts to refine and extend the understanding of how entrepreneurial activity in combination with various institutional and economic factors may increase or decrease the levels of econ...

Narratives of ‘stuckness’ among North–South academic migrants in Thailand: interrogating normative logics and global power asymmetries of transnational academic migration

Abstract: Higher education (HE) researchers have become increasingly interested in transnational academic mobility as a field of inquiry. A phenomenon frequently associated with ‘progress’ and ‘development’, research accounts are written about academic migrants who harness career momentum and experience upward social mobility resulting from their travels. In contrast to scholarly accounts which link mobility with progress of many kinds, this article foregrounds under-considered accounts of migrant academics who describe themselves as moving ‘backwards’ and feeling ‘stuck’. Drawing on an empirical study with 25 migrant academics employed in Thailand, we investigate ‘stuckness’ via two narratives of Global North academics. These narrative portraits reveal how migration may be prompted by career immobilities and that migrant academics in Thailand may perceive that they lack opportunities for career progression. We also examine how Thailand is configured as a ‘weird’ mobility destination, one that may struggle for recognition as a site for international academic career progress. The key contribution we make to critical academic mobilities scholarship is to weave in decolonial analyses of the geopolitics of knowledge production, examining ‘South’ and ‘stuckness’ as potentially linked categories for North-to-South academic migrants. We argue that narratives of stuckness among Northern academic migrants in Thailand are deeply interwoven with assumptions made about desirable directions of global travel, assumptions which are born from the profound inequalities which characterise global HE’s core/periphery structure.

Data analytics of Skytrax's airport review and ratings: Views of airport quality by passengers types

Abstract: This study investigates the perception of passengers of airport service attributes, using data from the Skytrax Airport Review websites. Overall, a total of 7358 reviews were collected from the website, together with other related passenger data, namely review headers, passenger types, rating scores of airport attributes and the overall rating. This study focused on investigating each group of passenger types to identify underlying differences amongst airport's passenger segmentation, particularly on the leisure travellers. The study performed different techniques of data analysis including sentiment analysis, lemmatization and partial least square – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to reveal key patterns derived from the available data, which the normal survey data or the interview data may not have revealed. The research contributes to airport passenger segmentation by highlighting the differences found in the travellers segmented by Skytrax. The study also provides practical implications to airport managers.

A qualitative analysis of the repatriation of Thai-Indian Third Culture Kids in Thailand

Abstract: The term Third Culture Kids refers to a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The number of Third Culture Kids is rapidly increasin...

Marketing Strategies and Acceptance of Edible Insects Among Thai and Chinese Young Adult Consumers

Abstract: The adverse environmental impact associated with producing animal foods (e.g. chick, pork, beef, and fish) presents an opportunity for insect foods to meet the rising global demand for meat product...

A virtual alternative to molecular model sets: a beginners’ guide to constructing and visualizing molecules in open-source molecular graphics software

Abstract: The application of molecular graphics software as a simple and free alternative to molecular model sets for introductory-level chemistry learners is presented Based on either Avogadro or IQmol, we proposed four sets of tasks for students, building basic molecular geometries, visualizing orbitals and densities, predicting polarity of molecules and matching 3D structures with bond-line structures These topics are typically covered in general chemistry for first-year undergraduate students Detailed step-by-step procedures are provided for all tasks for both programs so that instructors and students can adopt one of the two programs in their teaching and learning as an alternative to molecular model sets

Steric effects vs. electron delocalization: a new look into the stability of diastereomers, conformers and constitutional isomers

Abstract: A quantum chemical investigation of the stability of compounds with identical formulas was carried out on 23 classes of compounds made of C, N, P, O and S atoms as core structures and halogens H, F, Cl, Br and I as substituents. All possible structures were generated and investigated by quantum mechanical methods. The prevalence of a formula in which its Z configuration, gauche conformation or meta isomer is the most stable form is calculated and discussed. Quantitative and qualitative models to explain the stability of the 23 classes of halogenated compounds were also proposed.

Reinterpreting Popular Demonstrations for Use in a Laboratory Safety Session That Engages Students in Observation, Prediction, Record Keeping, and Problem Solving

Abstract: Eleven demonstration activities for an introductory undergraduate chemistry safety session are described. The first two activities are a safety video and a lab tour. All other activities are drawn ...

Wetzel’s sector covers unit arcs

Abstract: We settle J. Wetzel’s 1970’s conjecture and show that a $$30^{\circ }$$ circular sector of unit radius can accommodate every planar arc of unit length. Leo Moser asked in 1966 for the (convex) region with the smallest area in the plane that can accommodate each arc of unit length. With area $$\pi /12,$$ this sector is the smallest such set presently known. Moser’s question has prompted a multitude of papers on related problems over the past 50 years, most remaining unanswered.

Educational Entrepreneurship in an Intensive English Program in Thailand: A Case Study:

Abstract: This case study investigates educational entrepreneurship in an intensive English as a foreign language (EFL) program at a major Thai university. Using a qualitative case study approach, the study ...

PWYW Entrance fees: a visitor’s perspective on a prominent art museum in Thailand

Abstract: The pay-what-you-want (PWYW) strategy is attracting increasing attention from various industries. The tourism industry, especially cultural services and museums, has adopted this payment mechanism ...