Sir Anril P. Tiatco
Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts
College of Arts and Letters
UP Diliman
Performing the Bakla in The Care Divas: Crossdressing, Affective Labor, and the Glimpse of the Cosmopolitan. Journal of Homosexuality, 62 (11): 1485-1511, 2015.
Catchy title of research: Staging the Bakla in a Contemporary Filipino Musical.
This article is an analysis of the original Filipino musical The Care Divas. The analysis is both an affirmation and a criticism of the performance. In the affirmation, the musical is argued to present a social reality that is intended for and in need of inter- rogation: the Filipino bakla. In the critique, the essay marks some problematic limitations in the treatment of the bakla. In doing so, the musical, despite its attempt to present a social reality, is a social drama touching social issues—realistic in approach, but the representation seems like an editorial. In the final analysis, The Care Divas is argued to seemingly fail because artists are not able to see the complexity of their chosen subject in a bigger picture.
Link to the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00918369.2015.1073031
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.953
Edward H. M. Wang and Johanna Patricia A. Cañal*
Department of Orthopaedics
*Department of Radiology
College of Medicine
UP Manila
Synovial Haemangioma of the Knee: An Under Recognised Condition. International Orthopaedics, 39 (10): 2037-2040, October 2015.
Catchy title of research: The swollen knee: what could it be? What could it be?
A swollen knee is common enough. In young people, it is usually seen with trauma to the knee. In the elderly, it is associated with a form of arthritis. For a (thankfully) small population, it may be the harbinger of cancer. If things were this simple, the job of a doctor would be rendered much, much simpler. Sadly, it is not that cut and dried. There will be a small number of patients whose clinical picture will not match the expected, as seen in the article penned by Drs. Claire Oliva, Edward Wang and Johanna Cañal. The article, first published online in July 2015 the respected medical journal International Orthopedics, highlights the possibility that a swollen knee may be an uncommon acquired condition. Entitled “Synovial haemangioma: an under-recognized condition”, it points out certain typical clinical history, physical examination and radiologic findings that may aid in the diagnosis among Filipino patients. Undiagnosed, this benign condition may cause progressive joint destruction over years or decades. Once diagnosed, synovial haemangiomas in the knee must be removed either arthroscopically with small lesions or via open synovectomy for big lesions. All patients discussed in the article are Filipino patients who presented with protracted histories of recurrent knee swelling. They were managed by Drs. Wang and Oliva whose images were seen by Dr. Cañal. All doctors are affiliated with the Philippine General Hospital. Drs. Wang and Cañal are both professors of the UP College of Medicine.
Link to the article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00264-015-2930-4
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.110
David Leonides T. Yap and Helen T. Yap
SURP
Marine Science Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman
Drivers and Consequences of Land use Patterns in a Developing Country Rural Community. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 214: 78–85, 27 December 2015.
Catchy title of research: Drivers and consequences of land use patterns in a developing country rural community.
In the north of the biologically diverse island of Mindoro, the Philippines, deforestation threatens deterioration of the already precarious living conditions through the aggravation of 
soil erosion, and by intensifying negative consequences of frequently occurring geological and meteorological phenomena. Deforestation has degraded ecosystem services in the Philippines. It harms soil stability, biodiversity, protection from natural extreme events, and long-term food security. This study assesses the degradation and the drivers behind different land use types. Soil and vegetation analyses of sites with differing land use intensities were compared and interviews were conducted. Following are the highlights of the study. Forested and agricultural slopes have a history of management and show distinct signs of erosion. Species diversity on intensely cultivated, degraded and Imperata cylindrica-dominated slash-and-burn fallow sites is low. Secondary forests recover from shallow soils when left untouched for several years. Floodplain soils are productive and farmed extensively with rice and coconut. A gradient of economic power between the Tagalog majority and the indigenous minority hinders poverty alleviation. Economic needs are the main driver of illegal logging and intensification of agriculture. If continued, these practices will lead to a further decline of forest and soil resources and endanger residents’ livelihoods.
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880915300608
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 3.402
Lara Patricia A. Sotto, Cesar L. Villanoy and Gil S. Jacinto
Marine Science Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman
Nutrient Load Estimates for Manila Bay, Philippines using Population Data. Ocean Science Journal, 50 (2): 467-474, June 2015.
Catchy title of research: Significant source of nutrient loading to Manila Bay from human waste.
Untreated waste from human activities can enter coastal waters and carry nutrients like nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which stimulate the growth of too much microalgae
resulting to dense algal blooms and leading to poor water quality (e.g. low dissolved oxygen). Because of the high population density in Manila and other surrounding areas, in addition to the poor sewage system in place, nutrient loading in Manila Bay can get very high. A model simulation was used to estimate the nutrient loading into Manila Bay from human waste. The model used population data from the NSO and emission rates from the FAO. Seven scenarios comparing baseline (year 2010) and projected (year 2050) situations were tested with varying degrees and amounts for extent of sewage treatment as well as population growth rates. In all scenarios, a significant increase in N and P loads was observed even with an improvement in sewage services. If 70% tertiary treatment is achieved, N and P load both increase by more than 100%. However, the lowest increase in N and P load into the bay was achieved when population growth rate was reduced to half of the 2010 values. These results suggest that aside from improving sewage treatment, an important strategy to reduce N and P loading into Manila Bay would be to decrease human population growth rates in Metro Manila. Encouraging out-migration from the megacity or attracting people to other economic growth areas in the country would significantly help address the nutrient problem.
Link to the article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12601-015-0042-0#page-1
Impact Factor: Not yet available
King Karl R. Seroje, Rafael S. dela Rosa and Francis Norman C. Paraan
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman
Effective Thermodynamics of Isolated Entangled Squeezed and Coherent States. European Journal of Physics, 36 (5): 055051, 10 pages, 2015.
Catchy title of research: Zero temperature quantum effects described by finite temperature thermodynamics
Students of the National Institute of Physics (NIP), King Karl Seroje and Rafael dela Rosa, have published a pedagogical article in an international physics education journal that 
focuses on the use of thermodynamic language to describe modern concepts in quantum information theory. In their paper the quantum phenomenon known as entanglement in special zero temperature states is described by the thermal fluctuations of effective harmonic oscillators and two-level atoms. These thermal models are extensively discussed in typical undergraduate statistical physics courses while quantum entanglement in many-body systems is normally tackled in advanced physics courses. Thus, taking advantage of the analogies highlighted in their paper can potentially be an invaluable way to introducing quantum entanglement to senior undergraduate and graduate physics students. This work was co-authored by NIP physicist Francis Paraan and was supported by the UP OVPAA through its Balik PhD recruitment program.
Link to the article: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0143-0807/36/5/055051/meta;jsessionid=0A3A0F2C3CD518AD15B54C3F7510A19C.ip-10-40-2-121
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.629
Alexandra B. Santos-Putungan*, Elmer S. Estacio, Armando S. Somintac, Arnel A. Salvador, and Roland V. Sarmago
Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics
College of Arts and Sciences
*UP Los Baños
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman
Blue-shifted and Picosecond Amplified UV Emission from Aqueous Chemical Grown ZnO Microrods. Optical Materials, 48: 179–184, October 2015.
Catchy title of research: Blue-shifted and picosecond amplified UV emission of ZnO microrods for future optoelectronic devices
ZnO is an interesting semiconductor because it is capable of absorbing and emitting Ultraviolet light. It is a candidate material for optoelectronic devices such as UV detectors, UV 
LEDs, and UV laser diodes. Aqueous chemical growth (ACG) of ZnO crystals produces various morphologies with good structural and optical quality. Using the ACG process, the ZnO microrods were grown. The ZnO were well-faceted and uniform in habit. Moreover, they did not exhibit visible light emission usually attributed to crystal defects. Because of this, only the UV emission was being strongly confined in the microstructures thus leading to amplified emission. The findings of this study contribute insights on the suitable use of ZnO microrods for potential optoelectronic applications.
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925346715004668
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.981
Dennis Andrew S. Aguinaldo
Department of Humanities
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños
The Second Law. Kritika Kultura, 25: 529-555, 2015.
“The Second Law” chronicles the struggles of Ian Casimiro, a brilliant scientist haunted by the figure of Ludiwg Boltzmann—a foremost theoretical physicist of the late nineteenth century who devoted his science to the statistical comprehension of entropy and ended his life by means of hanging. Casimiro flies to New York to finish his masterwork: an extrapolation of certain cues from Boltzmann’s math that would grant him special insight into the nature of the known universe. He abandons this, returning to the Philippines to look for missing wife and spring his family from a country blazing under martial law.
Link to the article: http://kritikakultura.ateneo.net/issue/no-25
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Marilen P. Balolong
Department of Biology
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila
Effects of Probiotic Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 11181 Administration on Swine Fecal Microbiota Diversity and Composition using Barcoded Pyrosequencing. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 201: 80–88, March 2015.
Although our understanding of probiotics is increasing, basic information regarding their effect on the composition of the gut microbiome is scarce. The purpose of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiota of weaned piglets before and after probiotic intervention. The probiotic bacterium Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 11181 was administered to pigs for 2 weeks and fecal bacterial diversity using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing was analyzed. A more stable bacterial community, as indicated by increased bacterial diversity and richness, was observed after administration of the probiotic, compared with the control group. Regardless of the diet, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were found to be the dominant bacterial phyla in the pigs; however, inhibition of Proteobacteria was clearly evident in the probiotic group. In addition, the probiotic-fed group featured elevated levels of Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Oscillibacter, Succinivibro, and Clostridium genera and decreased levels of Escherichia and Dialister genera, compared with the control group. This study demonstrated that the probiotic E. faecium NCIMB 11181 modulates the fecal microbiota of weaned piglets. This modulation is characterized by an increase in other bacterial species including L. johnsonii, L. fermentum, and L. kimchii and several Clostridium spp., which might be beneficial to the health of weaned piglets.
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377840115000309
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.997
Mark Nell C. Corpuz, Vachel Gay V. Paller* and Pablo P. Ocampo
Limnological Research Station
*Institute of Biological Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños
Ichthyofaunal Survey in Selected Freshwater Habitats in Camarines Sur, Philippines. Asian Journal of Biodiversity, 6 (1): 80-99, January 2015.
Current conservation status of freshwater fish assemblage in major aquatic habitats in Camarines Sur (CamSur) is poorly evaluated. Despite of the conservation efforts for CamSur, the 
lake and stream ecology remains under the continued threats from different degree of anthropogenic pressures and habitat degradation. It is also worsen by lack of local awareness, and participatory protection on freshwater native fishes. Little is known on the current status and distribution of freshwater fish assemblages in CamSur, Philippines, particularly those thriving in Lake Bato, Lake Baao-Bula, Pawili River, Agos River, and Bagacay Falls. This study aimed to describe the spatial variation of freshwater fish assemblages, and to compare the diversity indices and environmental variables among the aforementioned aquatic habitats. The survey inventoried a total of 8,184 specimens belonging to 29 species, 22 genera, and 14 families. In general, four fish species comprised ca. 5 2% of the total abundance collected from the five studied sites. The survey revealed that the introduced species mostly consisting of cichlids, cyprinids, and poeciliids are establishing feral populations in four representative sites. The four aquatic habitats namely: Bato, Agos, Baao, and Pawili had relatively diverse freshwater fishes, with true gobies being the most dominant group in terms of richness, albeit the fish abundance is largely dominated by introduced or exotic fish species (cichlids, cyprinids, and poeciliids). The presence of introduced species, specifically, O. niloticus is attributed to escapement from fish pens and cages, and or introduction for aquaculture. In general, the areas are classified moderately impacted by anthropogenic pressures. Despite having a low diversity, the isolated and semi-pristine Bacagay provides haven for two enigmatic gobies.
Link to the article: http://www.asianscientificjournals.com/publication/index.php/ajob/article/view/696
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Nestor Bareza Jr. and Nathaniel P. Hermosa II
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman
Propagation Dynamics of Vortices in Helico-conical Optical Beams. Optics Communications, 356: 236–242, 1 December 2015.
Catchy title of research: When dark light interacts.
Light, as we normally know, propagates in a straight path in the ray optics regime. However, light may possess orbital angular momentum (OAM) in which directional flow of energy 
is helical as the light propagates. Light with OAM is used as optical spanner or it can induce angular displacement to particles. Light with OAM forms dark regions at which light swirls around. This dark region is called an optical vortex (OV) where the wave amplitude vanishes and the phase is indeterminate. In our recently published paper, we presented the first study of dynamical behaviour of multiple OVs embedded in a helico-conical optical beam (HCOB). HCOB is a special type of light that has inseparable radial and azimuthal phase expressions. Shown in Figure 1 are HCOB intensity profiles with three peripheral OVs and a central OV that are captured experimentally (left image) and obtained numerically (right image). Our technique in observing the OV propagation dynamics utilized calculations of the complex wave amplitude expression and image processing of the acquired intensity profiles. This technique is able to detect the motion of multiple OVs in transverse spatial space at fine-scaled propagation distances. We found that the peripheral OVs have inward motion and when the beam has central OV, significant angular motion is observed (shown in Figure 2). This interaction of OVs influences the wave profile reconstruction of HCOB and its spiralling intensity formation at the far field. This may find application into a more controllable micromanipulation and optical spanner.
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030401815006902
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.449
Dave DG. Centeno
Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business
UP Diliman
Constructing Celebrities as Political Endorsers: Parasocial Acts, Cultural Power, and Cultural Capital. Philippine Political Science Journal, 36 (2): 209-232, 2015.
This article explores three underlying codes that construct celebrities as political endorsers: parasocial acts, cultural power, and cultural capital. These mechanisms drive contingent 
endorsement abilities among popular media celebrities in the prominent context of political opinion leadership during national elections. The social, cultural, and political contexts situated in the Philippines provide rich avenues of understanding of how celebrities are constructed as a social influence emanating from everyday socialization among social groups. A series of focus groups in Quezon City involving voters stratified by socioeconomic class and gender and exemplifying everyday interactions among individuals served as linguistic resources for analysis. Findings suggest that celebrities are symbolically constructed as intimate and significant others (parasocial acts) created through everyday media consumption complemented by amplified social interactions. These parasocial acts with celebrities serve as foundations for their cultural power directly influencing individuals in their political decisions, such as during elections. Finally, such parasocial acts are a function of the social groups’ pronounced cultural capital. Implications are offered in understanding the significant role celebrities play in Philippine elections as an indication of their sociopolitical significance to individuals’ preferences and decision-making processes during elections.
Link to the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01154451.2015.1084746
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Lothy F. Casim, Modesto Z. Bandal Jr., Jon Carlo B. Gonzales, Ernesto Miguel M. Valdez Jr., Geneva Carla S. Chavez and Vachel Gay V. Paller
Institute of Biological Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños
Enteroparasites of Captive Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) from National Wildlife Research and Rescue Center, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology, 4 (1): 54-61, July 2015.
Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are the most numerous of all the species tended in National Wildlife Research and Rescue Center (NWRRC), in Diliman, Quezon City. 
This species of Cercopithecine belongs to the group of Old World monkeys and are native to Southeast Asia. The expansion of their population to human societies has increased human-macaque interface thereby causing tensions among affected human populations. In some cases, macaques kept as pets and come about as uncontrollable adults afterwards make it difficult for owners to commit in keeping them further. It is in such situations that donating or turning over long-tailed macaque individuals in rehabilitation facilities such as NWRRC becomes necessary. However, one of the consequences of accommodating rescued or donated macaques is that these animals have innate parasitic infections in their systems which could be exacerbated by stress resulting from confinement, conflicts with conspecifics in adjacent cages, and the mere presence of human visitors. Aggravated pathogenesis and zoonotic transmission in zoos, not maltreatment, now becomes a threat to the well-being of macaques. Such could interfere with the rehabilitating process, making it difficult for captive wildlife managers to reintroduce the monkeys back into the wild. Also, the manifestation of aggra-vated disease in captive long-tailed macaques becomes a public health concern, considering that the daily work of rescue center personnel involves constant interaction with the monkeys. The present study provides information on the gastrointestinal parasites of captive long-tailed macaques in National Wildlife Rescue Center, Diliman, Quezon City. It specifically aimed to identify enteroparasites in M. fascicularis with zoonotic potential, compare prevalence and intensity of parasites between male and female and among each individual’s condition factor, determine the parasites’ distribution in infected macaques and associate parasite prevalence and intensity with some management practices of NWRRC.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Augusto E. Serrano Jr.
NIMBB
UP Visayas
Proximate Composition and Apparent Digestibility Coefficient of Sargassum spp. Meal in the Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. ABAH Bioflux, 7 (2): 159-168, 2015.
Catchy title of research: Dietary composition and digestibility of the seaweed Sargassum in the Nile tilapia.
In evaluating the nutritive values of any ingredient, either for food or feeds, proximate composition and digestibility to the animal should be known first. Sargassum is a seaweed that abounds almost in any coast or nearshore portion in the tropics is considered as a nuisance weed. Evaluating it as a feed for the Nile tilapia could make a demand for this unwanted seaweed. A study was done to determine the proximate composition of the Sargassum seaweed and its digestibility to the Nile tilapia. Crude protein and lipid content of the seaweed meal was 10.28% and 0.41%, respectively. Carbohydrates appeared to be the major component of the seaweed at 46.61% followed by ash at 32.46%. Crude fiber was low at 10.25%. In measuring the ingredient digestibility, a protein rich, highly acceptable and palatable reference diet was formulated together with a test diet in which 30% of the reference diet was replaced with Sargassum meal (30%). Results showed that the addition reduced the digestible dry matter, crude protein and lipid in small but significant percentages. The digestibility of the reference for dry matter was decreased significantly from 74.47 to 64.55% by the replacement by Sargassum meal; the resulting ingredient digestibilityfor dry matter was sufficiently high at 63.9%. Similarly, the digestibility of the reference diet for crude protein in the present study significantly decreased from 88.26% to 83.93% when Sargassum meal was added and the resulting ingredient digestibilityfor crude protein was high at 84.62%. The digestibility of the reference diet for crude lipid significantly decreased from 99.85% to 93.44% by the replacement and the resulting ingredient digestibilityfor crude lipid was the highest among the three nutrients at 93.44%. The nutritive value of Sargassum meal in the present study was predicted to be favorable based on its proximate composition and apparent digestibility coefficient; it could serve as an energy source and/or possibly a mineral replacement. It is fairly digestible and its crude protein and lipid digestibility were very high.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Juliana Janet R. Martin-Puzon, Demetrio L. Valle and Windell L. Rivera
Institute of Biology
Natural Sciences Research Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman
TLC Profiles and Antibacterial Activity of Glinus oppositifolius L. Aug. DC. (Molluginaceae) Leaf and Stem Extracts against Bacterial Pathogens. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease, 5 (7): 569–574, July 2015.
The alarming increase in the incidence of new and re-emerging infectious diseases and the widespread, rapid development of multiple drug resistance in human pathogenic 
microorganisms against commonly used antibiotics have become one of the most serious public health concerns across the world. Factors that are responsible for the development of multiple drug resistance in human pathogenic microorganisms include the unscientific and impractical uses of commercial antimicrobial agents, the specific nature of the relationship of bacteria to antibiotics, host characteristics and environmental factors[1]. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms brings about the necessity for a constant search for new antimicrobial substances from plant sources[2]. According to the Infectious Disease Society of America, MDR bacteria which pose great challenge in terms of management include the following: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESβL+) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), metallo-β-lactamase-producing (MβL+) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Acinetobacter baumanii (A. baumanii).
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2222180815608386
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Bing Baltazar C. Brillo
Institute of Governance and Rural Development
College of Public Affairs and Development
UP Los Baños
Development Issues Regarding Bunot Lake: The Lesser Lake Among the Seven Lakes of San Pablo City, Philippines. Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management, 20 (3): 155–165, September 2015.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Francis George C. Cabarle and Henry N. Adorna
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
“Asynchronous Spiking Neural P Systems with Structural Plasticity” in Unconventional Computation and Natural Computation: 14th International Conference, UNNC 2015. Cristian S. Calude and Michael J. Dinneen (editors). Switzerland: Springer, 2015.
Jan Michael C. Yap and Henry N. Adorna
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
A Partial Regression Coefficient Analysis Framework to Inter Candidate Genes Potentially Causal to Traits in Recombinant Inbred Lines. Philippine Science Letters, 7 (4): 245-274, 2014.
The article reports a framework to infer candidate genes potentially causal to a trait of inbred lines using trait measurements, genetic sequence information, and gene expression data 
sets. Implementation was done and was applied to data sets generated from salt tolerance experiments in rice, of which 91 candidate genes potentially causal to rice salt tolerance was obtained. Additional review of annotations and pertinent literature lend credence to the relevance of the inferred candidate genes.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Demetrio L. Valle Jr.*, Juliana Janet M. Puzon and Windell L. Rivera
Institute of Biology*
Natural Sciences Research Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman
Antibacterial Activities of Ethanol Extracts of Philippine Medicinal Plants Against Multidrug-resistant Bacteria. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 5 (7): 532-540, 2015
Antibiotic resistance is a problem that continues to challenge the healthcare sector in a large part of the world in both developing and developed countries. The spread of multidrug 
resistant (MDR) bacteria in hospital and community settings remains a widely unresolved problem and a heavy burden to health services. Despite advances in antibiotic therapy, infectious complications remain an important cause of mortality and morbidity among hospitalized patients. Although medical practitioners can resort to second- or third-choice drugs for treating these patients, the use of these synthetic drugs may subject the patient to a higher risk, due to the possibility of the drugs producing more harmful side effects. To address this challenge, actions must be taken to reduce this problem, such as controlling the use of antibiotics, understanding the genetic mechanisms of resistance and developing new antibiotics and new therapeutic strategies. Advances in identifyingnew sources of natural products with antimicrobial activitiesand expanding antibiotic chemical diversity are providingchemical leads for new drugs The vast majority of modern medications were derived originally from ancient herbal traditions. The practices of plant based traditional medicine are founded on hundreds of years of belief and observations, which predate the development of modern medicine. Medicinal plants have been used for centuries as remedies for human diseases as they contain components of therapeutic value. There are numerous plant natural products which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiprotozoal activities that could be used either systemically or locally.
Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2221169115000854
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Ricky B. Nellas
Institute of Chemistry
College of Science
UP Diliman
Mapping Allostery through Computational Glycine Scanning and Correlation Analysis of Residue–Residue Contacts. Biochemistry, 54 (7): 1534–1541, 2015
Catchy title of research: CAMERRA reveals a novel frustrated-fit binding mechanism useful for smart drug design
This work presents CAMERRA, an efficient way to sort out the most important motions in a dance between proteins and drugs. Here, CAMERRA was used to investigate a complex 
system involving the thyroid hormone receptor (responsible for goiter) and potential drugs. We found out that the message relay between proteins and drugs, although complex can be sorted out and may be used to our advantage. In contrast to known ways of drugs attaching to proteins such as induced-fit and lock-and-key, we believe that a new strategy called frustrated-fit controls the landing of two or more drugs on different surfaces of highly interacting proteins. This knowledge is very useful in smart drug design of medicines for thyroid hormone receptor related diseases.
Link to the article: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bi501152d
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 3.015
Bing Baltazar C. Brillo
Institute of Governance and Rural Development
College of Public Affairs and Development
UP Los Baños
Developing Mohicap Lake, San Pablo City, Philippines. Social Sciences, 11 (3): 283-290, 2016.
Link to the article: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2659106
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
Department of Biology
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila
Characterization of the Fecal Microbial Communities of Duroc Pigs Using 16S rRNA Gene Pyrosequencing. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 28 (4): 584–591, April 2015.
This study characterized the fecal bacterial community structure and inter-individual variation in 30-week-old Duroc pigs, which are known for their excellent meat quality. Pyrosequencing of the V1–V3 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA genes generated 108,254 valid reads and 508 operational taxonomic units at a 95% identity cut-off (genus level). Bacterial diversity and species richness as measured by the Shannon diversity index were significantly greater than those reported previously using denaturation gradient gel electrophoresis; thus, this study provides substantial information related to both known bacteria and the untapped portion of unclassified bacteria in the population. The bacterial composition of Duroc pig fecal samples was investigated at the phylum, class, family, and genus levels. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes predominated at the phylum level, while Clostridia and Bacteroidia were most abundant at the class level. This study also detected prominent inter-individual variation starting at the family level. Among the core microbiome, which was observed at the genus level, Prevotella was consistently dominant, as well as a bacterial phylotype related to Oscillibacter valericigenes, a valerate producer. This study found high bacterial diversity and compositional variation among individuals of the same breed line, as well as high abundance of unclassified bacterial phylotypes that may have important functions in the growth performance of Duroc pigs.
Link to the article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4341109/
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.541
