http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/126 Independent Study / Thesis / Dissertation Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:42:52 GMT 2026-06-04T21:42:52Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1765 Exploring communication strategies and their effectiveness in business english as a lingua franca in Myanmar economic organization Yin Min Hla Atima Kaewsa-ard As English increasingly functions as a shared working language in international business and public-sector institutions, understanding how communication is managed beyond linguistic accuracy has become essential. This study investigates communication strategies in Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF)–mediated workplace interaction within a Myanmar economic organization, focusing on how professionals strategically manage meaning, accountability, hierarchy, and intercultural relations under institutional constraints. Adopting an embedded mixed-methods research design, the study draws on multiple data sources, including semi-structured interviews with 15 officials, a corpus of 74 professional emails, recordings of real-time workplace meetings, and a structured questionnaire. Guided by a conceptual framework that views BELF communication strategies as interactional resources rather than compensatory linguistic tools, the analysis integrates functional content analysis of written communication with conversation analysis of spoken interaction. The findings reveal that BELF communication strategies in this context function as situated interactional practices shaped by institutional roles, procedural accountability, and intercultural sensitivity. In written communication, politeness and indirectness are systematically deployed to establish institutional alignment, assign responsibility, and maintain professional relations without undermining authority. In real-time meetings, strategies such as repetition, reformulation, clarification requests, and multimodal resources emerge sequentially in response to interactional trouble, enabling participants to negotiate understanding and sustain interactional flow in high-stakes decision-making contexts. Rather than compensating for limited proficiency, these strategies reflect a high degree of interactional competence tailored to institutional demands. The study further demonstrates that the effectiveness of BELF communication strategies lies not in fluency or native-like accuracy, but in their capacity to support task accomplishment and intercultural collaboration despite linguistic asymmetries and organizational constraints. Drawing on these findings, the study argues for a reconceptualization of BELF-oriented English for Specific Purposes (ESP) training. It suggests that professional communication training should move beyond language correctness to emphasize interactional awareness, institutional accountability, and strategic meaning-making in real workplace contexts. By examining BELF communication in an underexplored public-sector economic organization in Myanmar, this study contributes to BELF scholarship by extending its empirical and theoretical scope to Global South institutional settings. It advances an interactional understanding of professional communication and provides a principled foundation for context-sensitive ESP training grounded in authentic workplace practices. Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- English for Professional Development, School of Liberal Arts. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1765 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1764 Thermomechanical treatment to enhance protein functionality of sacha inchi press cake Piyawan Phonphimai Natthawuddhi Donlao Sacha inchi oil residue/press cake (SP) is a protein-rich by-product of oil extraction with strong potential as a sustainable plant-based ingredient. However, its utilization in food applications is limited by restricted protein accessibility, the presence of antinutritional factors, suboptimal techno-functional properties, and undesirable sensory attributes such as bitterness and astringency. This thesis aimed to enhance the protein content and overall functionality of Sacha inchi press cake through cyclone-based dry fractionation and thermal–mechanical processing, and to elucidate the relationships between production yield, protein recovery, structural characteristics, functionality, digestibility, and application performance. In the first part of the study, cyclone-based dry fractionation following grinding and sieving (≤250 µm) was applied, yielding four fractions (F1–F4). These fractions were characterized in terms of physicochemical composition, nutritional quality, amino acid profile, bioactive compounds, and techno-functional properties. Protein enrichment was modest, increasing from 53.06% in the starting material (SP) to 56.62% in fraction F3 and 57.12% in fraction F4. Fraction F3 exhibited the highest yield (32.56%), whereas F4 showed a substantially lower yield (8.91%). Protein solubility was strongly pH-dependent, ranging from 19.96% at pH 2 to 95.76% at pH 12. Functional properties varied among fractions: F3 showed a reduction in foaming capacity (from 11.38% to 3.95%) but improved foam stability (from 88.89% to 96.83%). Emulsifying activity and stability slightly decreased (from 87.70% and 78.87% to 76.52% and 70.09%, respectively), while gelation properties improved, as indicated by a decrease in the least gelation concentration from 18% to 10%. Bioactive compound content remained largely unchanged, with total phenolic content ranging from 28.31 to 29.14 mg GAE/g and ferric reducing antioxidant power increasing from 64.04 to 79.94 µmol FeSO₄/g. The low amino acid score (0.04) indicated limited protein quality. Overall, dry fractionation resulted in only minor improvements, highlighting trade-offs between yield, protein enrichment, and functionality, and underscoring the need for complementary processing strategies. In the second part of the study, the effectiveness of autoclaving (AC) followed by colloid milling (CL) was investigated as an integrated thermal–mechanical approach to improve the physicochemical, functional, nutritional, and sensory properties of SP. The SP was autoclaved at 121 °C and subsequently subjected to colloid milling, after which the resulting materials were evaluated using the same analytical framework as in Part 1, along with application testing in cracker formulations. This combined processing significantly reduced bulk density from 0.65 to 0.25 g/cm³ and increased protein solubility at pH 2 from 19.29 to 31.79 mg/g. Water- and oil-holding capacities increased from 3.81 to 4.89 g/g and from 6.67 to 9.01 g/g, respectively, while emulsifying activity improved from 50.0% to 62.5%. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion demonstrated higher protein solubility for colloid-milled samples during both the gastric (9.34 mg/g) and intestinal (11.02 mg/g) phases compared with autoclaved samples. Amino acid analysis revealed a well-balanced essential amino acid profile, with an essential amino acid index of 108 and a predicted biological value of 106. Crackers formulated with cassava starch and autoclaved–colloid-milled press cake at a 90:10 cassava starch press cake ratio achieved the highest overall sensory acceptability score (8.62). Overall, these findings demonstrate that while cyclone-based dry fractionation alone provides limited improvements, the combination of autoclaving and colloid milling is an effective strategy for valorizing SP into a functional plant protein ingredient with enhanced nutritional quality, techno-functional performance, digestibility, and sensory acceptability, supporting its potential application in sustainable food systems. Thesis (M.Sc.) -- Innovative Food Science and Technology, School of Agro-Industry. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1764 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1763 Effect of language therapy with essential oil inhalation program on language skills, attention and behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactive disorders Preeyaporm Kiatisakulkate Donlaya Promkeaw Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can interfere with learning, communication, and daily functioning. Children with ADHD often present with speech and language difficulties; however, attentional deficits and behavioral dysregulation may limit engagement and reduce the effectiveness of language training. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a language training program combined with essential oil inhalation on language skills, attention, and behavior in children with ADHD. A mixed-methods design was employed, consisting of a quasi-experimental phase to examine immediate effects during training and a four-week randomized controlled trial. Twenty children aged 6–13 years with mild to moderate ADHD were randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving language training with vetiver essential oil inhalation or a control group receiving language training with a water-only diffuser. Both groups participated in structured language training sessions for 30 minutes, twice weekly for four weeks. Language outcomes were assessed using the Thai articulation test and the Utah Test of Language Development (UTAH), attention was measured through video-based observation of attention time during tasks, and behavior was evaluated using the SNAP-IV scale. The results demonstrated that both groups showed significant improvements in language outcomes after four weeks; however, the experimental group exhibited significantly greater improvements in articulation and language scores. Attention time increased significantly only in the experimental group, while no significant change was observed in the control group. Additionally, SNAP-IV scores in the experimental group decreased significantly, indicating improvements in inattention, hyperactivity, and oppositional behaviors. In conclusion, language training improved language abilities in children with ADHD, and the addition of essential oil inhalation further enhanced outcomes by increasing attention and improving behavioral regulation during training, suggesting that olfactory stimulation may serve as a complementary approach to optimize language therapy effectiveness in this population. Thesis (M.Sc.) -- Health Promotion Through Integrative Medicine, School of Integrative Medicine. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1763 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1762 Effect of nine square exercise on functional ability and cognitive function in adults with intellectual disability Juthamart Kohkaew Donlaya Promkeaw This study aimed to examine the effects of Nine square exercise (NSE) using an Illuminated Nine-Square Dance Pad (INSP) on functional ability and cognitive function in adults with intellectual disability (ID). A randomized controlled trial with assessor blinding was conducted at Rajanukul Institute, Bangkok, Thailand. Forty-six adults with mild to moderate ID were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 23) or a control group (n = 23). Both groups participated in 60-minute training sessions, twice a week, for 4 weeks. Functional ability was assessed using the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) and Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Cognitive function was assessed using Simple Reaction Time (SRT), Choice Reaction Time (CRT) and Trail Making Test Part A (TMT-A). After 4 weeks of training, the experimental group showed significant improvement in all functional outcomes and in SRT, SRT accuracy, CRT, CRT accuracy, and TMT-A, while the control group improved only in FTSST, 6MWT, SRT accuracy, and CRT accuracy. Between-group comparisons showed greater improvement in 10MWT, TUG, and SRT in the experimental group. The findings suggest that this program may improve functional ability and cognitive function in adults with ID. Thesis (M.Sc.) -- Health Promotion Through Integrative Medicine, School of Integrative Medicine. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1762 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z