• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.195-202
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• 2022

This study investigates whether institutional investors increase or decrease the volatility of stock returns in the Thai stock market. For the purpose we used the data from SETSMART, a database provided by the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Our sample is a balanced panel data covering 3,160 firm-year observations from 316 nonfinancial firms listed on the SET from 2011 to 2020. We analyze the link between institutional holdings and the volatility of stock returns by the pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, the fixed effects model, and the random-effects model. In particular, we regress the stock return volatility on institutional ownership while controlling for firm size, financial leverage, growth opportunities, and stock turnover and accounting for industry effects and year effects. Our results indicate institutional investors' positive and significant influence on the volatility of the stock returns. Additionally, we performed the dynamic Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator to alleviate concerns of possible endogeneity. The result still shows a positive impact of institutional investors on the volatility in stock returns. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that an increase in the volatility of stock returns in the Thai stock market may stem from a higher proportion of equity held by the institutional investors.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.25-57
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• 2019

The paper addresses Erik Cohen's pioneering work on tourism in Thailand, specifically his publications on the relations between Thai women and foreign (farang) men in tourist-oriented encounters. Of sociological-anthropological interest is his conceptualization of these relations as "open-ended prostitution as a skilful game of luck" based on his study of a Bangkok soi (lane) in 1981-1984, and his exploration of Thai culture in terms of ambiguity and contradiction. On the basis of recent ethnographic research in the northern Thai tourist hub of Chiang Mai and wide-ranging observations on tourism development in Thailand, we examine continuity and change in these male-female engagements since Cohen's research, especially in the context of the increasing availability of such electronic agencies as social media, messaging, video chat, and internet dating. Whereas Cohen's concept of ambiguity and illusion has tended to disappear from physical spaces, it seems to have resurfaced in virtual space. The complexities of host-guest relations, and particularly the interactions both within the variegated category of "guests" themselves and then between their "hostesses" are explored in terms of sites of tourism-oriented encounters in both physical and virtual space so as to deconstruct these oppositional categories which have been formative in studies of tourism.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.65-71
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• 2023

Purpose: This study attempted to analyze the impacts of the backward linkage and output multipliers, and investigate the price fluctuation and the price forecast amongst the manufacturing sectors associated with food processing industrial output of Thailand. Research design, data and methodology: The Thailand Input-Output table with a size of 180 x 180 sectors from 2005, 2010, and 2015 was utilized while the secondary data of the time series from January 2002 to December 2021 were processed via a multiplicative model and Box-Jenkins model. Results: The backward linkage analysis indicates that canning and preserving of the meat sector majorly utilized the factors of production from the slaughtering sector; canning and preservation of fish and other seafoods sector largely used those factors from the ocean and coastal fishing sector; and the sugar sector used those of the sugarcane sector. Notably, the output multiplier analysis indicated that output multipliers of those 3 manufacturing sectors were highly increased; meanwhile the price fluctuation continually existed in all forms. Besides, the price forecast suggested that prices of chicken and sugarcane tended to be higher; whereas, the price of shrimp was unstable. Conclusions: Food processing industry contains the favorable components to be one of the industries of the future of Thailand.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.229-269
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• 2024

This research aims to comprehend the progress of Halal tourism in specific Indonesian regions, including Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau, and Riau Islands. It investigates ways to boost this progress through collaboration within the IMT-GT. Majority of the population in these areas, as in Malaysia and Southern Thailand, is Muslim. Consequently, developing Halal Tourism within the IMT-GT framework poses a challenge for them. While the IMT-GT framework already encompasses the Tourism and Halal Product sectors, it doesn't explicitly mention Halal Tourism aspect. Despite this, efforts to develop Halal Tourism in Indonesia offer opportunities for both domestic growth and taking advantage of proximity to two more advanced neighboring countries, Malaysia and Thailand, in this aspect. This research employs explanatory analysis, examining Indonesia's opportunities and approaches to developing the Halal Tourism sector, both domestically, designed by the Halal Tourism Development Strategic Plan 2021-2024, and within the IMT-GT framework itself. A new aspect of this study involves assessing the readiness within Indonesia and its correlation with the opportunities provided by the IMT-GT. Indonesia should actively embrace opportunities presented by its two neighboring countries. The recognition through various awards that Indonesia has received can strongly motivate efforts to enhance the preparedness of regions designated for Halal Tourism. The economic corridors established by the IMT-GT among these three countries can serve as a conduit for Indonesia's advancement in developing Halal Tourism.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4597-4606
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• 2012

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an uncommon adenocarcinoma which arises from the epithelial cells of the bile ducts. The aim of the study was to investigate the cytotoxicity, toxicity, and anticancer activity of a crude ethanolic extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) against CCA. Cytotoxic activity against a CCA cell line (CL-6) was assessed by calcein-AM and Hoechst 33342 assays and anti-oxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH assay. Investigation of apoptotic activity was performed by DNA fragmentation assay and induction of genes that may be involved in the resistance of CCA to anticancer drugs (MDR1, MRP1, MRP2, and MRP3) was examined by real-time PCR. To investigate anti-CCA activity in vivo, a total of 80 OV and nitrosamine (OV/DMN)-induced CCA hamsters were fed with the ginger extract at doses of 1000, 3000, and 5000 mg/kg body weight daily or every alternate day for 30 days. Control groups consisting of 10 hamsters for each group were fed with 5-fluorouracil (positive control) or distilled water (untreated control). Median $IC_{50}$ (concentration that inhibits cell growth by 50%) values for cytotoxicity and anti-oxidant activities of the crude ethanolic extract of ginger were 10.95, 53.15, and $27.86{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. More than ten DNA fragments were visualized and up to 7-9 fold up-regulation of MDR1 and MRP3 genes was observed following exposure to the ethanolic extract of ginger. Acute and subacute toxicity tests indicated absence of any significant toxicity at the maximum dose of 5,000 mg/kg body weight given by intragastric gavage. The survival time and survival rate of the CCA-bearing hamsters were significantly prolonged compared to the control group (median of 54 vs 17 weeks). Results from these in vitro and in vivo studies thus indicate promising anticancer activity of the crude ethanolic extract of ginger against CCA with the absence of any significant toxicity. Moreover, MDR1 and MRP3 may be involved in conferring resistance of CCA to the ginger extract.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4285-4288
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• 2012

Background: Opisthorchis viverrini infection is a serious public-health problem in Southeast Asia. It is associated with a number of hepatobiliary diseases and the evidence strongly indicates that liver fluke infection is the etiology of cholangiocarcinoma. Objectives: This study aimed to determine Opisthorchis viverrini infection in elderly people in Surin province, Northeastern Thailand. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 333 elderly in 17 districts of Surin province, during one year period from January to December 2011. O. viverrini infection was determined using Kato's Thick Smear technique and socio-demographic were collected using predesigned semi-structured questionnaires, respectively. Results: A total of 333 elderly including 116 males and 217 females were selected from different study sites. Overall intestinal parasitic infection was 16.2%, predominantly in O. viverrini (9.91%) and followed by Strongyloides stercolaris (4.80%) and hookworm (1.50%), respectively. The O. viverrini infection was found higher in males (13.8%) than females (7.83%), and frequently in elderly 60-70 year old with 14.2%. Chi-square testing indicated that education and occupation were significantly associated with O. viverrini infection (P value = 0.02). The distribution of O. viverrini infection was found in 11 districts which was covered 64.7% of the studies areas. The highest prevalence was found in Thatum with 39.1%, and followed by Sangkha (24.0%), Buachet (21.1%), Samrong Thap (19.1%), Si Narong (15.0%), and Ratanaburi (13.3%) districts. Conclusion: This findings stress that O viverrini is still a problem in Thailand. We confirmed, for the first time, the high endemicity of human O. viverrini infections in elderly in Surin province of Thailand, underlying the fact that mass treatment and health education are urgently required.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.727-733
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• 2013

Despite the existence of effective anthelmintics, parasitic infections remain a major public health problem in Southeast Asia, including Thailand. In rural communities, continuing infection is often reinforced by dietary habits that have a strong cultural basis and by poor personal hygiene and sanitation. This study presents a survey of the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among the people in rural Thailand. The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in villages in Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand, from July to August 2013. A total of 253 stool samples from 102 males and 140 females, aged 2-80 years, were prepared using formalin-ethyl acetate concentration methods and examined using light microscopy. Ninety-four individuals (37.2%) were infected with 1 or more parasite species. Presence of parasitic infection was significantly correlated with gender (P=0.001); nearly half of males in this survey (49.0%) were infected. Older people had a higher prevalence than younger members of the population. The most common parasite found was Opisthorchis viverrini (26.9%), followed by Strongyloides stercoralis (9.5%), Taenia spp. (1.6%), echinostomes (0.4%), and hookworms (0.4%). The prevalence of intestinal protozoa was Blastocystis hominis 1.6%, Entamoeba histolytica 0.8%, Entamoeba coli 0.8%, Balantidium coli 0.4%, Iodamoeba b$\ddot{u}$tschlii 0.4%, and Sarcocystis hominis 0.4%. Co-infections of various helminths and protozoa were present in 15.9% of the people. The present results show that the prevalence of parasitic infections in this region is still high. Proactive education about dietary habits, personal hygiene, and sanitation should be provided to the people in this community to reduce the prevalence of intestinal parasite infections. Moreover, development of policies and programs to control parasites is needed.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2014

The expected launching countries are selected based on the state and strategy of businesses undertaking by LH, then the legal systems for urban development of those countries are investigated and analyzed to be used as basic data for advancing to oversea urban development. The results are showing as follows. First, on the basis of the advancing priority, and the level and obtaining possibility of legal system for urban developments, Bangladesh, Thailand, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela are selected to be investigated among the countries of Central and South America and Asia to where expected to be advanced. Second, most of the selected countries establish and promote the national housing policies by their own National Housing Authority. For example, First-Home Policy and National Housing Development Strategy, etc. are established in Thailand, and National Housing Authority takes charge of the housing development for low-income bracket. Third, the laws and project procedures are investigated, then compared to the similar laws of Korea. The common "Land Allocation Act" is legislate in Bangladesh and Thailand, for example, "Land Allocation Act" and "Town and City Planning Act" are enacted in Thailand. On the other hand, the laws for urban and housing developments vary from country to country those are located in Central and South America. Meanwhile, it is verified that "Act on Planning and Use of National Territory" of Korea is similar to the "Town and City Planning Act" of Thailand.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.685-689
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• 2016

Opisthorchiasis is still a major health problem in rural communities of Thailand. Infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which is found frequently in Thailand, particularly in the northeastern. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of health intervention in the population at risk for opisthorchiasis and CCA. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in Meuang Yang district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand, between June and October 2015. Participants were completed health intervention comprising 4 stations; 1, VDO clip of moving adult worm of liver fluke; 2, poster of life cycle of liver fluke; 3, microscopy with adult and egg liver fluke; and 4, brochure with the knowledge of liver fluke containing infection, signs, symptoms, related disease, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control. Pre-and-post-test questionnaires were utilized to collect data from all participants. Students paired t-tests were used to analyze differences between before and after participation in the health intervention. Knowledge (mean difference=-7.48, t=-51.241, 95% CI, -7.77, -7.19, p-value =0.001), attitude (mean difference=-9.07, t=-9.818, 95% CI=-10.9, -7.24, p-value=0.001), and practice (mean difference=-2.04, t=-2.688, 95% CI=-3.55, -0.53, p-value=0.008), changed between before and after time points with statistical significance. Community rules were concluded regarding: (1) cooked cyprinoid fish consumption; (2) stop under cooked cyprinoid fish by household cooker; (3) cooked food consumption; (4) hygienic defecation; (5) corrected knowledge campaign close to each household; (6) organizing a village food safety club; (7) and annual health check including stool examination featuring monitoring by village health volunteers and local public health officers. The results indicates that the present health intervention program was effective and easy to understand, with low cost and taking only a short time. Therefore, this program may useful for further work at community and provincial levels for liver fluke prevention and control.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.4175-4179
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• 2016

Background: Oral cavity cancer (OCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. No studies have reported on the prevalence and epidemiologic risk factors of oral premalignant lesions (OPLs) in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of OPLs and associated factors in Roi Et Province, Thailand. Materials and Methods: To investigate the prevalence of OPLs, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in which 2,300 subjects over 40 years of age were recruited and screened for the prevalence of OPLs. To identify factors associated with OPLs, a matched case-control study was used in which the subjects were 102 cases with OPL and 102 matched controls without OPLs. The studies were conducted in Roi Et Province during the period 1 February, 2014, to 30 April, 2014, and the data were collected by the use of a structured interview questionnaire and by extraction of information from medical records. Data analyses involved the use of descriptive statistics, McNemar's test, and conditional logistic regression. Results: The overall prevalence of OPLs was 3.8%, and no-one was diagnosed with more than one type of OPL. The factors found to be associated with a statistically significant higher risk of an OPL were betel nut chewing, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The associations with these factors were strong, especially for betel nut chewing and smoking. Conclusions: The habits of betel nut chewing, smoking, and alcohol use are confirmed as factors associated with OPLs in a population of Roi Et Province, Thailand. Campaigns to reduce such risk healthy behaviour are needed, but whether any actual decrease will prevent the eventual transformation of an OPL into an OCC remains an open question.