KKU Research Journal (Graduate Studies)

Smart Cryotherapy Machine with Temperature Monitor of Cool Pack for Athletic First-Aid Treatment of Acute Injuries during Sport Competition

2023-10-03T09:45:18+07:00

First-aid treatment using cryotherapy for athletic acute injuries during sport competition must continuously maintain inflamed-skin temperature within 10-15 °C for no more than 20 min. In this research, a Smart Cryotherapy Machine with Temperature Monitor (SCMTM) of cool pack is developed and constructed with 2 main parts: 1) a machine using 4 peltier or Thermo-Electric Cooler (TEC) modules to conduct heat out from a Cool Pack (CP) within 3 hours during refrigeration, 2) a real-time temperature-data transmission system from a BME-280 sensor through Wi-Fi using ESP8266/ESP32 board during a 20-min cryotherapy treatment. From experimental results, average surface temperature of CP can be reduced by 29.2ºC after refrigerating for 3 hours and average athletic skin temperature can be lowered by 13.0ºC during 20-min cryotherapy treatment

Slope Failure Causes and Remediation Approaches: A case study of Rural Road Udon Thani 4013 Km.12+850 – Km.13+150 Section between Ban Na kum Noy and BaanTah Toom Using Finite Element Method with Plaxis 2D Program

2024-02-20T22:54:09+07:00

This research studied the causes of slope failure and approaches for remediation. The case study of Rural Road Udon Thani 4013 Km. 12+850 - Km. 13+150 Section between Ban Na Kham Noi and Ban Tah Toom by Finite Element Method with the Plaxis 2D program was used. The results of the study were as follows. The slope stability was within safety standard in normal conditions. However, the water flow from the river, which changed direction, hit the unprotected slope, caused erosion by beginning at the Toe Slope and gradually spreading into the main structure, finally reaching the surface as an important factor affecting slope failure. As to remediation, the method of reinforcement by Rock and wire mattress was used by laying Rubber sheet on the bottom, which would increase the slope stability, increase drainage efficiency and prevent erosion in the soil below. The safety ratio was 3.80, which was within safety standard (NAVFAC DM 7.01, 1986).

Study of Masonry Infill Wall Behaviors in RC Frame under Tsunami Loading using the Finite Element Method

2024-02-23T23:30:59+07:00

This research aims to analyze the behavior of a masonry-infilled wall (MIW) in a reinforced concrete frame (RC) subjected to tsunami force using the Finite Element Method. This work used experimental data from past research for calibration and model to investigate the response behavior under the tsunami loading, distributed uniformly through the water depth. The analysis evaluated the effects of various tsunami inundation depths on the lateral resistance capacity of RC frames with MIWs. The MIW behaviors were modeled using subsections of 25x25 square elements. The analysis results found that the lateral resistance of the building decreased about 2 times as the inundation depth increased, from 780 kN to 320 kN for the inundation depth of 0.250H and 1.000H, respectively. Because the force is transferred to the foundation directly at shallower tsunami inundation depths, a larger force was required to push the MIW. This study emphasizes the significance of including the analysis of structures' response to tsunami loading in the design of coastal structures, aiming to improve safety and mitigate risks associated with natural disasters.

Investigation of the Obstacles for Area-Based Infrastructure Construction Projects Management

2024-02-22T10:55:49+07:00

The infrastructure serves as the foundation for a country's development in alignment with the 20-year economic and national strategic development plan. Obstacles in project management have a direct impact on the success of construction projects, leading to a reduction in project quality and increase duration, consequently resulting in higher costs. The aim of this study is to examine the variables that hinder regional infrastructure project management through expert interviews and a literature review. It identified a total of 25 obstacle variables. Data was collected using a five-level opinion survey tool from various local government organizations throughout Thailand, totaling 7,850 locations. A sample of 521 responses was grouped and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with the SPSS software, revealed that the cumulative variance explained was 69.227%, and the project management obstacles can be categorized into three groups: 1) Management and Integration, consisting of 10 variables; 2) Organizational Resources and Knowledge, consisting of 7 variables; and 3) Maintenance and State Support, consisting of 8 variables.

A Low-cost Electrochemical Biosensor With Copper and Aluminum Electrodes for Alcohol Detection

2023-08-18T14:38:20+07:00

Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents worldwide. This research aimed to develop a low-cost paper-based electrochemical biosensor for alcohol concentration measurement utilizing an alcohol oxidation reaction catalyzed by the alcohol oxidase enzyme. The anode and cathode electrodes of the paper-based biosensor were made of copper and aluminum tapes, respectively, and were coupled to electronic sensor modules for signal reading and processing. The results demonstrated that the oxidase enzyme was necessary for the biosensor to function, resulting in a linear signal response with alcohol concentrations ranging from 9 to 36 mM. The sensitivity of the enzyme-coated biosensor was significantly higher than that of the enzyme-free biosensor. Moreover, measuring the biosensor’s electrochemical signal by current was found to yield a higher sensitivity (0.5499 – 1.0915 μA/mM) than voltage measurements (0.0010 – 0.0022 V/mM). The maximum sensitivity of 1.0915 μA/mM (R² = 0.8410) was obtained by measuring the current near the reaction zone at the center of the biosensor sheet. The optimum enzyme concentration that gave rise to the maximum sensitivity was found to be 20% v/v with a detection limit of 1.9478 mM. The biosensor was estimated to cost approximately 12 baht, considerably cheaper than the current breathalyzer-based method, and could therefore be further developed as a portable, disposable alcohol test pad to prevent drunk driving accidents.

The Study of Al- generated Images on the Efficacy of Lightweight Pre-trained Neural Networks in Flower Classification

2024-01-18T14:01:48+07:00

This research investigates the efficacy of utilizing a compact, pre-trained neural network model on a limited dataset for the categorization of five distinct flower types: daisy, tulip, rose, sunflower, and dandelion. The investigation incorporates three distinct sets of training data: real images (genuine photographic images), images generated using artificial intelligence from DELL-E2, and a hybrid dataset merging real images and AI-generated images. The outcomes of the experimentation reveal that among lightweight pre-trained models, ResNET18, ResNET30, and ResNET50. ResNET50 which is the most extensive pre-trained model, demonstrates superior performance across various evaluation metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and the F1-score. The models trained with AI-generated images combined with real images show results better than those trained with only real images or only AI-generated images. Because the combination can fill in missing details from generated images, introduce creative elements, and potentially improve the overall visual impact and informativeness of the image. The ResNET50 provides explicitly better than both lighter architecture model (ResNET18 and ResNET30). Therefore, in cases where there is limited image data or where a model needs to be quickly built, the use of AI-generated images in conjunction with collected data is a promising approach.

Forecasting the Rainfall in Uttaradit Province by Statistical Techniques

2024-01-17T14:51:32+07:00

The objective of this research was to find the suitable models and compare forecasting models for the rainfall in Uttaradit Province by using three statistical forecasting methods: Decomposition method, Winters’ additive method and Box-Jenkins method. In this study, the data was the monthly rainfall in Uttaradit Province from January 2007 to December 2022 with a total of 192 months. The results of building forecasting models indicated that Decomposition method resulted in an unsuitable forecasting model. Winters’ additive method yielded a suitable forecasting model was Yt+m = (7.664 +St-s+m)² without trend estimate, and Box-Jenkins method revealed a suitable forecasting model was Yt= . When comparing the accuracy of the forecasting models by considering the lowest root mean square error, the results indicated that Winters’ additive method was the most accurate so this method was the most suitable for forecasting the rainfall in Uttaradit Province.

Comparison of Cultural Attractions Classification Model Performance Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

2023-11-02T10:33:03+07:00

Nakhon Si Thammarat is an ancient city of historical significance in Southeast Asia, boasting diverse and unique cultural tourist attractions. This research aims to compile an image dataset of key cultural tourist sites in Nakhon Si Thammarat, including 8 noteworthy sites. The dataset is used for training and comparing the performance of various image classification models. The learning process involves two main steps: dimensionality reduction of image data through either image flattening or convolutional neural networks, and model training. Three models were evaluated: nearest neighbor, decision tree, and logistic regression. The study found that using convolutional neural networks for dimensionality reduction yielded higher performance compared to image flattening, and the logistic regression model achieved the highest accuracy at 93.75%.

Accuracy of Sternomental Distance for Screening Difficult Tracheal Intubation among Patients Under General Anesthesia: A Systematic Review

2023-08-11T14:31:34+07:00

A systematic review aimed to consider accuracy of SMD for screening difficult tracheal intubation. The published research articles were searched from databases including Cochrane library, PubMed, Scopus, CINHAL, DARE, TCI, and other sources such as Google scholar and BJA. All articles that were retrieved from searching were screened based on eligibility criteria, extracted data, assessed risk of bias using QUADAS-2, and conducted Meta-analysis using HSROC model. Our results found that 35 included studies (14,417 participants) indicated that sensitivity and specificity of SMD were 34% (95% CI, 22 to 48) and 91% (95% CI, 85 to 95) and area under curve of SROC was 76% (95% CI, 72 to 80). When cut-of-point of SMD was between 13 to 13.5 centimeters, its’ sensitivity and specificity were 13% (95% CI, 4 to 36) and 96% (95% CI, 85 to 99), and area under curve of SROC was 63 (95% CI 59 to 67).

Development of a Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Technique for Blood Serum Using a Cost-Effective Silver Nanoparticle-Based Substrate

2023-11-02T10:34:24+07:00

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for the measurement of biological samples are currently in high demand, but their cost is relatively high due to their complex manufacturing processes. This study designed and developed a SERS substrate for measuring human serum samples that can be readily assembled from four common, inexpensive industrial materials: filter paper, Blu-ray disc, graphene ink, and aluminum tape, with 60 nm silver nanoparticles for SERS signal enhancement. The measurements were conducted using a laser wavelength of 785 nm and an acquisition time of 10 seconds. Aluminum tape was found to be the most suitable material for use as a SERS substrate because it caused the greatest amplification of the serum's Raman signal with minimal variation, the detected SERS signal was consistent with prior research and was unaffected by the substrate's intrinsic Raman signal. The optimal concentration of the colloidal silver nanoparticles was found to be 1.85 x 10^-² molar. The biomolecular composition of serum was detected at 494 cm^-1(L-arginine), 634 cm^-1(tyrosine), 724 cm^-1(adenine), 884 cm^-1(tryptophan), 1,004 cm^-1(phenylalanine), and 1,334 cm^-1 (nucleic acid). This SERS substrate produced enhancement factors of up to 4,096 (at the 1,618 cm^-1peak) and 164 (at the 634 cm^-1 peak) for the measurement of crystal violet and serum samples, respectively. Thus, this study successfully developed a low-cost but effective SERS substrate that showed good performance for serum sample measurement and holds potential for application as a SERS substrate in disease diagnosis, especially in low-resource settings. Additionally, its potential for application in medicine relates to disease screening using serum sample analysis and integration with machine learning techniques to classify and diagnose diseases based on biomolecules.

Quality Evaluation of Commercial Thatbunjob Formulations in Thailand

2024-01-17T11:30:53+07:00

Thatbunjob (TBJ) is a Thai traditional remedy comprising twenty-two herbs on the national list of essential medicines for alleviating symptoms such as diarrhea, indigestion, and abdominal discomfort. Its availability extends across various pharmaceutical presentations, including boluses, capsules, and powdered forms. Until now, there has been no investigation into the quality of TBJ products. This study aimed to examine the physicochemical properties, chemical contaminants, and microbial contamination in TBJ products, adhering to Thai herbal pharmacopeia guidelines and comparing them with in-house TBJ formulations. The findings indicated that a total of 7 samples had total ash content higher than the standard, with an average of 6.17-9.89 percent by weight. The extract amounts of both ethanol and water were lower than the criteria, with averages of 0.22-0.60 and 12.98-17.93 percent by weight, respectively. Additionally, microbial contamination exceeding the standard was found in 3 samples. These insights may contribute to refining production processes to ensure the practicality and safety of herbal composite drugs for future consumers.

Development and Validation of the Knowledge Assessment Tool for New Oral Anticoagulant Use in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

2023-09-20T10:00:32+07:00

The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a tool to assess the knowledge of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients on the use of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The research was divided into two phases. Phase 1 was the tool development to assess anticoagulation knowledge in AF patients. Phase 2 was the tool validation in the aspects of content validity (in 6 experts), and reliability and item difficulty (in 30 patients). The multiple-choice assessment tool contained twenty-three questions with six dimensions including basic drug information, adverse drug reactions, medication administration, drug-drug interactions, laboratory monitoring, and self-care and lifestyle. Based on the expert evaluation, the tool developed had a scale content validity index of 0.97. A validity test from the patients showed that the tool had a reliability score of 0.95, and the average difficulty of each dimension of the question ranged from 0.22 to 0.96. The tool developed in this study to evaluate knowledge regarding NOAC use in AF patients met the quality criteria for content validity and reliability. Therefore, it can be employed to assess knowledge in AF patients, enabling the development of educational guidance for patient counseling.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Food Consumption Behaviors and Nutritional Status of Food Delivery Staff in Chiang Mai

2024-10-04T23:23:23+07:00

This cross-sectional study aims to investigate nutrition knowledge, food consumption attitudes, food consumption behavior, and nutritional status of Chiang Mai food delivery workers. The sample for this study consisted of 264 food delivery workers who worked on a regular basis in the city district of Chiang Mai Province. The convenience sampling technique was used to select the samples. A questionnaire was used to collect information. The data was analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation statistics, as well as Pearson correlation coefficient statistics. According to the findings of this study, the majority of the samples, 67.4%, had a low level of nutritional knowledge, 44.3% had a poor level of food consumption attitude, 83.0% had inappropriate food consumption behavior, and 48.9% had normal nutritional status. There was no correlation found when analyzing the relationship between nutritional knowledge, food consumption attitudes, food consumption behavior, and nutritional status of food delivery staff. Despite the fact that the majority of food delivery workers have normal nutritional status, their nutritional knowledge, food consumption attitudes, and behavior were inadequate. If good knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are not promoted, it may eventually lead to overnutrition. As a result, the findings of this study can be used as a guideline for educating food delivery workers, changing attitudes, and changing consumption behaviors in order to maintain good nutritional health.

Heat-Related Illness Program Development Among Outdoor Farmers Exposed to The Sun

2023-08-30T16:16:07+07:00

Over recent years, temperatures continue to rise, concerns for the health impacts, particularly farmer are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness due to prolonged exposure to solar radiation. This study was aimed to develop the heat-related Illness program among outdoor farmer to assess by themselves implementing programs based on program of occupational health risk assessment on exposure to heat among cultivated farmer [1] and health risk assessment from heat exposure [2]. Data were collected by both the paper of questionnaires and online program. All variables were used to create, calculate, and report the health risk level of heat related illness through online programs. The analysis of the reliability comparison between documents and using online programs was done and to bring to the trial process there were the participants of outdoor farmer. They have been tested through online program assessments by using smartphones and to assess the satisfaction of using the online program. The results showed that this program is reliable, had work efficiently and provided accurate information 0.996 (95% CI 0.991-0.998). We found correlation between this program and program of occupational health risk assessment by using of Spearman’s rank correlation, the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was 0.647 (r=0.647, 95% CI=0.364–0.821. In addition, participants were satisfied with the use of program about understanding, design, program usage, and overall image by the on the whole satisfaction was very satisfy (Mean, S.D.: 4.74, 0.53) from a full score of 5 points. The innovation of this online program of heat-related illness can be used for the surveillance of health risks on heat related illness of outdoor farmer.

Health Risk Matrix of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Electronic Assembly Industrial Workers

2024-01-19T21:58:13+07:00

The objective of this study was to assess the health risks of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among 280 workers in electronics manufacturing. Data were collected by using the MSDs severity and frequency questionnaire (MSFQ), the ergonomics risk assessment tool, and health risk assessment matrix. The results showed that worker had the top three levels of discomfort were in the shoulders (22.15%), upper back (18.58%), and lower back (17.86%). Ergonomic risks of employees working with a standing position were mostly the very high risk at level 4. In a sitting position, most of them had a high risk at level 3. The results of health risk matrix found that classification by highest pain position, most of them were at level 4 (high MSDs risk), and were classified according to pain in various areas of the body, the highest level of health risk was found in the shoulder (34.64%), upper back (29.64%), and lower back (26.43%). The results can lead to planning for prevention impact including continued surveillance of MSDs from the work of electronic employees by the MSDs risk matrix.

Editorial Note

2024-10-07T16:10:06+07:00

วารสารวิจัย มข. (ฉบับบัณฑิตศึกษา) สาขาวิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี ฉบับนี้เข้าสู่ปีที่ 24 ฉบับที่ 3 กรกฎาคม-กันยายน 2567 ยังคงมุ่งมั่นพัฒนาคุณภาพทางวิชาการอย่างต่อเนื่อง เพื่อเป็นแหล่งตีพิมพ์บทความวิจัยและเผยแพร่ผลงานวิจัยของนักวิจัย ทั้งภายในและภายนอกที่ได้มาตรฐาน บทความทุกเรื่องต้องได้รับการประเมินโดยผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิทั้งภายใน และภายนอกมหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น (Peer Review) ก่อนการตีพิมพ์อย่างน้อย 3 ท่าน ที่มาจากหลากหลายสถาบันและไม่มีส่วนได้ส่วนเสียกับผู้เขียนหลักและผู้เขียนร่วมทุกคนในบทความเรื่องดังกล่าว และต้องมีความเชี่ยวชาญในศาสตร์ที่สอดคล้องกับงานวิจัยในบทความที่ส่งมา ผู้พิจารณาจะไม่ทราบชื่อผู้แต่งและผู้แต่งจะไม่ทราบชื่อผู้พิจารณา (Double-Blind Peer Review) และได้รับการกลั่นกรองคุณภาพจากกองบรรณาธิการอย่างเข้มข้น

ฉบับนี้ได้รวบรวมบทความที่น่าสนใจอีกเช่นเคย จำนวนทั้งสิ้น 15 บทความ อาทิเช่น เรื่อง เครื่องบำบัดด้วยความเย็นอัจฉริยะพร้อมติดตามอุณหภูมิแผ่นประคบเย็นสำหรับปฐมพยาบาลนักกีฬาที่บาดเจ็บเฉียบพลันระหว่างการแข่งขันกีฬา เรื่อง การสำรวจอุปสรรคของการบริหารการก่อสร้างโครงสร้างพื้นฐานเชิงพื้นที่ เรื่อง ความแม่นของระยะห่างจากปลายคางถึงขอบบนกระดูกทรวงอกสำหรับคัดกรองการใส่ท่อหายใจยากในผู้ป่วยที่ได้รับการระงับความรู้สึกแบบทั่วไป: การทบทวนวรรณกรรมอย่างเป็นระบบ เรื่อง การศึกษาคุณภาพของตำรับยาธาตุบรรจบที่จำหน่ายในประเทศไทย เรื่อง ความรู้ ทัศนคติ พฤติกรรมการบริโภคอาหารและภาวะโภชนาการของพนักงานส่งอาหาร จังหวัดเชียงใหม่ และเรื่อง เมตริกความเสี่ยงทางสุขภาพต่อความผิดปกติทางระบบโครงร่างและกล้ามเนื้อของพนักงานในอุตสาหกรรมผลิตและประกอบชิ้นส่วนอิเล็กทรอนิกส์

ในโอกาสนี้กองบรรณาธิการวารสารวิจัย มข. (ฉบับบัณฑิตศึกษา) ยังเปิดรับบทความจากนักวิจัย และบุคคลทั่วไป ที่มีความสนใจในการเผยแพร่ผลงานวิจัยในลักษณะบทความวิชาการ บทความวิจัยสื่อสารอย่างสั้น และบทความปริทัศน์ ในสาขาวิชาวิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี วิทยาศาสตร์สุขภาพ และวิศวกรรมศาสตร์ และขออนุญาตเชิญชวนผู้สนใจสามารถศึกษารายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมและสมัครตีพิมพ์บทความวิจัยผ่านระบบออนไลน์ของวารสารเท่านั้น จาก https://journal.gs.kku.ac.th/gs และ https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/gskku/user/register วารสารวิจัย มข. (ฉบับบัณฑิตศึกษา)