Showing papers by "University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce published in 2013"

Pedestrian network map generation approaches and recommendation

Abstract: With the advanced capabilities of mobile devices and the success of car navigation systems, interest in pedestrian navigation systems is on the rise. A critical component of any navigation system is a map database, which represents a network e.g., road networks for car navigation and supports key functionality such as map display, geocoding, and routing. Road networks, mainly due to the popularity of car navigation systems, are well defined and publicly available. However, in pedestrian navigation systems, as well as other applications including urban planning and physical activity studies, road networks do not adequately represent the paths that pedestrians usually travel. Currently, there is a void in literatures discussing the challenges, methods, and best practices for pedestrian network map generation. This coupled with the increased demand for pedestrian networks is the prime motivation for development of new approaches and algorithms to automatically generating pedestrian networks. Three approaches, network buffering, using existing road networks, collaborative mapping, using Global Positioning System GPS traces collected by volunteers, and image processing, using high-resolution satellite and laser imageries, were implemented and evaluated with a pedestrian network baseline as a ground truth. The results of the experiments indicate that these three approaches, while differing in complexity and outcome, are viable for automatic pedestrian network map generation. The recommendation of a suitable approach for generating pedestrian networks for a given set of sources and requirements is provided.

The effect of CSR knowledge on customer liking, across cultures

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficacy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) knowledge on customer liking for the bank across two countries and cultural contexts.Design/methodology/approach – Three CSR variables were tested for their comparative influence on customer liking under different cultural value conditions. Surveys were completed by 204 bank consumers in Australia and 219 bank customers in Thailand. ANOVA and regression were used to test hypotheses.Findings – Perceptions of existing CSR performance and new CSR initiative had significant effects on liking for the bank. However CSR orientation had no effect. These influences varied substantially depending upon the community orientation of the target customer.Research limitations/implications – Understanding the differing roles of the two significant CSR variables provide insights into the complexities of CSR relationships. The successful introduction of a scale to measure a salient internal outcome measure, called lik...

Infographics: The New Communication Tools in Digital Age

Abstract: Infographics were used to support the work of journalism back in 1980s. It may be used to accommodate newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and reports. Now the infographics have been applied for telling the story. Additionally, the changing lifestyle in digital age, data and information need to be quicker and easier processed. People scan for the headlines and graphics (usually in pictures, graphs, charts) that attract their interest. They spend less time to consider whether it is worth further reading. Multimedia infographic can be created in 3D to make it more appreciative than regular illustrative pictures and text, especially for the difficult and complicated contents. For the people who need to communicate quickly; the spoken or printed account is sometimes too difficult for understanding. This paper includes the history, importance, and benefit of infographics in general and introduces the tools for making infographics efficiently. The suggestive guidelines of infographics creation are also addressed. KeywordsInfographics, HCI, Data Visualization, Information Visualization, InfoVis

Effect of enzyme treatment on guava juice production using response surface methodology

Abstract: Response surface methodology(RSM) was usedto investigate the effectsofenzyme concentration (500 -900 ppm) and incubation time (30 -90 min) onviscosity of guava puree and pH, titratab leacidity, clarity, yield, total soluble solid (TSS) and ascorbic acidof guava juice .In addition, the numerical optimization was conducted to find the best enzyme condition. The result indicated that the enzyme treatment reduced guava puree viscosity , promoted juice clarification and increased values fortitratable acidity, yield,TSS and ascorbic acidof guava juic ethan that without enzyme.Only regressionmodelsofguava puree viscosi ty, yield, TSS and ascorbic acid withcoefficientof determination ( R 2 )of0.9706, 0.9785, 0and 0.9687, r espectively were significant, reliableand suitable to describe the experimental data

Infographics: An Approach of Innovative Communication Tool for E-Entrepreneurship Marketing

Abstract: Infographics were used to support the work of journalism back in 1980s. It may be used to accommodate newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and reports. Now the infographics have been applied for telling the story. Additionally, the changing lifestyle in digital age, data and information need to be quicker and easier processed. People scan for the headlines and graphics (usually in pictures, graphs, charts) that draw their interest. They spend less time to consider whether it is worth further reading. Interactive, Multimedia and Video infographics can be created in 3D to make it more appreciative than regular illustrative pictures and text, especially for the difficult and complicated contents. For the people who need to communicate quickly; the spoken or printed account is sometimes too difficult for understanding. With infographics can escalate the growth of e-entrepreneurship, they will be very useful as the well-organized, easy-to-understand, eye-catchy, and shareability marketing tools. The suggestive guidelines of infographics creation are also addressed. This paper also includes the history, importance, and benefit of infographics in general and introduces the tools for making infographics professionally. Infographics: An Approach of Innovative Communication Tool for E-Entrepreneurship Marketing

Business process improvement in services: case studies of financial institutions in Thailand

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how financial institutions adopt business process improvement (BPI) for improving service quality, to enhance customer satisfaction. To explain this adoption, it was necessary to develop a theory to explain the linkages between BPI initiatives and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – Case study was used as the research strategy, following the theory‐building process suggested by Eisenhardt. In total, three phases of data collection were employed, with expert interviews for theory enhancement and validation.Findings – The authors identified three main stages of BPI adoption. A theory model was developed and refined using the empirical findings, to provide understanding of the outcomes of BPI initiatives. This model is compared with existing service quality models.Research limitations/implications – The research outcomes represent an extension of existing service quality approaches, to consider the BPI adoption process as well as broader organ...

Inequality, growth, and environmental quality trade‐offs in a model with human capital accumulation

Abstract: This paper develops a simple endogenous growth model where pollution exposure and vulnerability are unequally spread across the population, and growth and distribution are endogenous. In this set-up, we investigate whether trade-offs between growth, distributional, and environmental concerns may emerge. We show that a tighter environmental policy reduces income inequality and can improve both growth and total welfare. Immediate welfare losses, though, do occur, and are larger for countries that start at low levels of environmental quality (e.g. developing countries). Inegalite, croissance et qualite de l'environnement : arbitrages dans un modele d'accumulation de capital humain. Nous developpons un modele de croissance endogene ou l'exposition et la vulnerabilite a la pollution sont inegalement reparties dans la population, et ou la croissance et la distribution des revenus sont determinees de facon endogene. Dans ce cadre d'analyse, nous cherchons s'il existe des arbitrages entre la croissance, les inegalites et l'environnement, notamment dans les pays en developpement. Nous montrons qu'une politique environnementale plus stricte conduit a la fois a une reduction des inegalit es et, a une augmentation de la croissance et du bien-etre. Dans un premier temps, cependant, ce changement de politique conduit a une reduction du bien-etre qui est relativement plus importante pour les pays dont la qualite environmentale est initiallement faible (e.g., les pays en developpement).

A noval approach of genetic algorithm for solving examination timetabling problems: A case study of Thai Universities

Abstract: Arranging examination timetable is problematic. It differs from other timetabling problems in terms of conditions. A complete timetable must reach several requirements involving course, group of student sitting the exam in that course, etc. It is similar to the course's timetable but not the same. Many differences between them include the way to create and the requirements. This paper proposes an adaptive genetic algorithm model applied for improving effectiveness of automatic arranging examination timetable. Hard constraints and soft constraints for this specific problem were discussed. In addition, the genetic elements were designed and the penalty cost function was proposed. Three genetic operators: crossover, mutation, and selection were employed. A simulation was conducted to obtain some results. The results show that the proposed GA model works well in arranging an examination timetable. With 0.75 crossover rate, there is no hard constraints appeared in the timetable.

The expectations hypothesis: New hope or illusory support?

Abstract: Recent studies of the expectations hypothesis of the term structure (EHTS) find evidence in favor of the EHTS using post 1980s US data. This has been attributed to the relative macro stability of this period and greater market efficiency. Using a panel of forecasts for 3-month interest rates for ten countries we test separately for EHTS and rational expectations. Assuming rational expectations holds we find support for the EHTS is illusory due to an off-setting time-varying term premia and non-rational expectations. Previous forecast-based studies suggest biased expectations tend to reinforce the effect of a time varying term premium. This change can be understood in the context of Fama’s (2006) argument that markets tend to underestimate future spot rates during periods of long-run increases and overestimate during declines.

On Cyclic Decompositions of Complete Graphs into Tripartite Graphs

Abstract: We introduce two new labelings for tripartite graphs and show that if a graph G with n edges admits either of these labelings, then there exists a cyclic G-decomposition of for every positive integer x. We also show that if G is the union of two vertext-disjoint cycles of odd length, other than , then G admits one of these labelings. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Contract grant sponsor: National Science Foundation; Contract grant number: A0649210.)

Effects of school, family and alcohol marketing communication on alcohol use and intentions to drink among Thai students.

Abstract: This study explored effects of family, school, and marketing communications on alcohol use and intention to drink of Thai students. We conducted a survey in which 5,184 students participated. Respondents were selected randomly from school districts throughout Thailand. In this survey we measured the exposure to, reception of, and perceptions concerning alcohol marketing communication, school absenteeism and achievement, family alcohol use, students' alcohol use, and drinking intentions. Findings indicated students' low alcohol use, moderate intention to drink, and high prevalence of family drinking. The levels of exposure and also the information receptivity to alcohol media marketing of Thai students were low. The respondents had a high level of media literacy on alcohol marketing communication. Multiple regression and focus group discussions provided support for the contention that there were significant effects of school achievement, absenteeism and media marketing communication on alcohol use (R2 = 14%) and intention to drink (R2 = 11%). Therefore, consideration of relevant school and alcohol policies, including monitoring of media marketing communication, will be needed. Language: en

Status in a canonical macro model: Labour supply, growth and inequality

Abstract: We introduce status in the most standard (canonical) macro model that is able to provide an analysis of growth and distribution. We consider the question of whether status considerations enable the model to meet some important empirical findings (which we review) related to rising labour supply (the work-life balance), rising income inequality, and changing factor shares. We find a promising role for status in the explanation of these empirical regularities.

Reduction of power ripple in P&O MPPT system using output feedback

Abstract: A new maximum power point tracking (MPPT) system based on perturb and observe (P&O) technique is addressed in this article. The proposed system employs sign of output power as an extra perturb of P&O MPPT system. With the new control strategy error between operating and reference voltage is minimized. To illustrate performance of the system an MPPT system composed of a PV cell, buck converter and a constant voltage load is composed. Simulated results show that the system equipped with the proposed MPPT strategy is able to track the maximum power at a given solar radiance precisely. Compared with those of the conventional P&O scheme the proposed system offers significant lower ripple magnitude both in power and load current. The improvement requires neither larger converter inductance nor higher frequency operation.

The Effects of the Moderator of Social Skills on Changing between Managerial Skills and the SME Performance

Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to study the effect of moderator of social skills on a change between managerial skills and the performance of small and medium enterprises Research methodology – Descriptive statistic study was used in this study and model (SEM) was used to examine the postulated hypothesis (research questions) The research was conducted among the entrepreneurs by focusing on the characteristics of particular SME entrepreneurs’ specific skills in Thailand A total 400 usable responses by the subjects were received The analysis was done by using the structural equation model Findings – This study found that managerial skills had the positive direct effect on the SME performance which consisted of cost reduction, customer growth and sale growth at 589, 1332 and 1625 respectively The social skills had an effect on the change between managerial skills and SME performance Finally, the leadership skills were the most important skill with the highest influence on SME performance at 084 Conclusion and Recommendation – The result of this study would recommend that entrepreneurs prepare themselves before they start up their new business According to the business developing stage, they should improve managerial skills and social skills by taking an entrepreneurship course or attending a leadership camp They would learn how to develop entrepreneurial skills that are related to their business in order to increase their SME performance and enhance their competitiveness and capability towards global markets Originality/value - This paper introduces a practical model of moderator of social skills affecting changing between managerial skills and the performance of Thai SMEs

An on-the-fly provenance tracking mechanism for stream processing systems

Abstract: Applications that operate over streaming data with high-volume and real-time processing requirements are becoming increasingly important. These applications process streaming data in real-time and deliver instantaneous responses to support precise and on-time decisions. In such systems, traceability - the ability to verify and investigate the source of a particular output - in real-time is extremely important. This ability allows raw streaming data to be checked and processing steps to be verified and validated in timely manner. Therefore, it is crucial that stream systems have a mechanism for dynamically tracking provenance - the process that produced result data - at execution time, which we refer to as on-the-fly stream provenance tracking. In this paper, we propose a novel on-the-fly provenance tracking mechanism that enables provenance queries to be performed dynamically without requiring provenance assertions to be stored persistently. We demonstrate how our provenance mechanism works by means of an on-the-fly provenance tracking algorithm. The experimental evaluation shows that our provenance solution does not have a significant effect on the normal processing of stream systems given a 7% overhead. Moreover, our provenance solution offers low-latency processing (0.3 ms per additional component) with reasonable memory consumption.

The last eternity a 3D role-playing game with a cross-platform development

Abstract: This paper describes a cross-platform game engine for PC-based and iOS-based mobile devices. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a case study for a game developer and a game designer on the mobile platform. We discuss an implementation case-study on the game `The Last Eternity'. We present the wrapper around OpenGL|ES and OpenGL for PC, a structure of 3D game engine, a simple script design within the game engine, and a design and structure of the game. The game design, limitations, technical problems, and API are solved and discussed in this paper.

International and National R&D Networks in Unionized Oligopoly

Abstract: We study the endogenous formation of R&D networks between two domestic and one foreign firms in a unionized oligopoly. We find that the equilibrium networks are sensitive to the extent of knowledge spillovers between networked firms. If spillovers are sufficiently low, the complete network will arise in equilibrium; however, if spillovers are sufficiently high, the foreign partial network that includes a domestic and a foreign firm will arise. Moreover, for intermediate spillovers, no equilibrium network emerges. These results have implications for aggregate outcomes: equilibrium networks are not necessarily optimal in terms of aggregate effective R&D and aggregate firm profits

Design and implementation of bit torrent file system for distributed animation rendering

Abstract: Rendering is a crucial process in the production of computer generated animation movies. It executes computer programs to produce series of images which will be sequenced into a movie. However, rendering process on a single machine can be tedious, time-consuming and unproductive, especially for 3D animation. To resolve these problems, animation rendering is commonly carried out in a distributed computing environment where the rendering is distributed to a number of computers. As a result, efficient handling of such distributed animation rendering becomes a major challenging research to increase performance and reduce cost for numerous animation industries. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of BitTorrent File System (BTFS) used to improve the communication performance of distributed animation rendering. The BTFS efficiently and transparently provides data sharing among distributed computers in a peer-to-peer manner to reduce the data access time for any rendering software. The experimental results and evaluation are verified as a proof-of-concept of our architecture. Some interesting future enhancement is also discussed.

Wage-Setting Institutions and R&D Collaboration Networks

Abstract: We analyse how union structures that differ in the degree of wage-setting centralisation affect the pattern of R&D network formation. Within the context of a three-firm industry, a central union that sets a uniform wage is shown to induce a partial R&D network that includes two firms but excludes the third. In contrast, we find that, under less centralised union structures, firms have incentives to form R&D networks with a larger number of alliances. This result is consistent with the stylised facts for industrialised countries: recent decades have seen an upsurge in R&D alliances along with labour market deregulation towards more flexible wage-setting institutions.

Towards Linked Open Statistical Data: Dissemination Formats and Major Statistic Data Sets of the AEC Countries

Abstract: Official statistics can be disseminated via different media including the Internet, paper publications, CD-ROM, fax, public speeches, and press releases. Dissemination formats such as HTML pages, PDF documents, and Excel sheets are widely deployed in national and international statistics agencies in releasing their data. However, with the recent worldwide movement that calls for opening up government or public data, more governments and institutions are increasingly publishing their data in more open formats such as SDMX, CSV, RDF, and RDFa that allow users to freely use and reuse or even link their data. The examination of dissemination formats of statistics of the AEC countries in this study has shown that data still needs to be disseminated in a more open format in cases of national statistical organizations in almost all AEC states as well as ASEAN.

A nondominated adversarial search algorithm for a three-player chess game

Abstract: Three-player (3P) chess is a variation of chess game specially designed for three players. The winning condition that the first player will wins if the player captures any of the other's King, arises the playing strategies that a player can form a temporarily alliance with another player or a player can take advantage from the other's attacking to defeat either two of the opponents. This paper proposes a search algorithm called the nondominated adversarial search (NAS) for the three-player chess game which does not only maximize the own score but also minimize the opponents' scores. The experiment shows that the NAS algorithm can take advantage from the other's attacking to win the game.

Ethics of Politicians

Abstract: The first thing we usually think of when discussing ethics is about politicians, because politicians control all power––money, state authority and influence. If politicians practice ethics, it will greatly improve politics. Most government agencies urgently set up their own codes of conduct. The best way to solve this problem is to start with ourselves first and try to set an ethical standard at both the state and civic level. When this is done consistently, it becomes a good habit. The emphases are the ethics and virtue of the political leaders which will lead to an orderly society, which is significant to Democracy. Consequently, Thais will experience a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous society.

An Energy Aware Protocol for Cyclic Monitoring Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract: The Power & Reliability Aware Protocol (PoRAP) has been developed to provide efficient communication by means of energy conservation without sacrificing reliability. This has been achieved using direct communication, adaptive transmission power adaptation and intelligent scheduling. The key capabilities of PoRAP make it suitable for environmental and habitat monitoring systems. Several experiments were designed and implemented using TinyOS components located at base station and sources. A set of experimentation was set up to determine power adaptation, achieved reliability and energy conservation. From measuring the Received Signal Strength Indicator, the Packet Reception Rate was estimated. Timing relationships were established to predict delays and to determine the required slot size for a schedule based protocol. Statistical analysis of the derived measurements demonstrated significant communication ranges for both indoor and outdoor environments. Further, by adapting the power, the protocol was able to maintain network performance in an optimal region.

The Development of a Digital Repository: Experimenting with EPrints at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

Abstract: A growing number of academic institutions are increasingly interested in collecting and preserving digital content for research, teaching, and learning at their institutions. Numerous digital repository software packages exist for the purpose. However, building a successful digital repository requires strategies for digital content management. This paper aims to provide a framework for developing an EPrints repository. It first describes the background and features of EPrints and then discusses a framework for developing an EPrints repository at the University of the Thai chamber of commerce (UTCC). Such framework includes repository branding, repository management, and repository launching. Keywords—EPrints, digital repository, institutional repository