Intense competition and educational privatization have fostered demands for student personalization, leading to shadow education becoming entrenched in the Asian education sector. Its social influence is expanding and far-reaching, which has attracted many scholars to study this issue. Scholars have been arguing about the adverse effects of shadow education on widening the inequality of social problems, increasing students’ psychological pressures, and also the moral conflicts that teachers face. This position paper explores and discusses the rationality of shadow education from three dimensions: social, psychological, and economic. It argues that shadow education should exist as a co-curricular or supplement to formal mainstream education because it serves as a mirror that can reflect the missing parts of formal education, as shadow education can assist lower academic performing students and cater to need-oriented functions under-utilized within mainstream education. This article concludes with some recommendations for education policymakers in the Thailand Ministry of Education (MOE) in Thailand regarding the rising of the shadow education phenomenon. With stronger oversight of shadow education operators, improved communication between mainstream schools and parents, and increased financial support to the public education sector, a dynamic synergy between mainstream schools, shadow education operators, parents and students can be achieved.

Turning red after consuming alcohol may seem like a mere social inconvenience. Yet, this flushing response is caused by an accumulation of acetaldehyde, a carcinogenic intermediate of alcohol metabolism. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) deficiency, the result of a point mutation, produces a less efficient ALDH2. The resulting accumulation of acetaldehyde greatly increases the risk of developing esophageal and head and neck cancers. In this study, we produced recombinant ALDH2 in the probiotic E. coliNissle 1917, which successfully reduces acetaldehyde levels in simulated oral conditions. Packaged in a hard candy, the ALDH2-probiotic would remain in the mouth to specifically target salivary acetaldehyde. Using mathematical modeling, we also determined how much recombinant ALDH2 is needed to reduce elevated acetaldehyde levels.

The small size of nanoparticles is both an advantage and a problem. Their high surface-area-to-volume ratio enables novel medical, industrial, and commercial applications. However, their small size also allows them to evade conventional filtration during water treatment, posing health risks to humans, plants, and aquatic life. This project aims to remove nanoparticles during wastewater treatment using genetically modified Escherichia coli in two ways: 1) binding citrate-capped nanoparticles with the membrane protein Proteorhodopsin, and 2) trapping nanoparticles using Escherichia coli biofilm produced by overexpressing two regulators: OmpR234 and CsgD. We demonstrate experimentally that Escherichia coli expressing Proteorhodopsin binds to 60 nm citrate-capped silver nanoparticles. We also successfully upregulate biofilm production and show that Escherichia coli biofilms are able to trap 30 nm gold particles. Finally, both Proteorhodopsin and biofilm approaches are able to bind and remove nanoparticles in simulated wastewater treatment tanks. We envision integrating our trapping system in both rural and urban wastewater treatment plants to efficiently capture all nanoparticles before treated water is released into the environment.

The quality of teachers influences the achievements of students. This study aimed to examine Chinese language teachers’ self-efficacy and cultural dimension levels in a private tutoring educational institution in Bangkok, Thailand. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods design with quantitative results from 20 Chinese language teachers and qualitative interview findings of 16 participants (four teachers, six students, and four parents). The 9-point Likert scale instrument used in the study was based on Tschannen-Moran et al. (2001) teachers’ self-efficacy scale (TSES) with additional questions about cultural dimension derived from GLOBE research’s theory on culture and leadership. The study provides important insights into foreign language teachers’ self-efficacy when teaching in Thailand. More importantly, it addresses issues facing private tutoring institutions and brings awareness for school leaders in improving their school management.  The study’s findings indicated that Chinese language teachers in the selected institution had high self-efficacy and cultural dimension levels.