Richard Espiritu
Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
Degradation of Radiation Grafted Anion Exchange Membranes Tethered with Different Amine Functional Groups Via Removal of Vinylbenzyl Trimethylammonium Hydroxide. Journal of Power Sources, 375: 373-386, 31 January 2018.
Fig. 1. The possible degradation mechanisms of TMA-functionalised AEM immersed in close to neutral pH water medium.
Fig. 3. IECs of LDPE-based membranes (65% DOG) functionalised with different head groups after degradation test in deionised water at 60 °C.
The chemical stability of anion exchange membranes (AEM), particularly at high operating temperatures, poses a critical challenge that limits the wide scale use of alkaline fuel cells. Thus, a fundamental understanding of the chemical stability of anion exchange membranes is required to adequately design robust solid-state anion exchange membrane for electrolysers and fuel cells. Previously, we have reported the degradation of radiation grafted AEMs functionalised with trimethyl amine (TMA) [R. Espiritu et al. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017]. The degradation studies of radiation grafted AEMs were then extended to include other amine functionalities. Similar to our previous report, the results suggest that the degradation of the membrane is not only due to the removal of the functional head group, but also attributed to the loss of the benzyl group, regardless of the tethered functionality. Such findings will have a significant impact on the way we design and fabricate anion exchange membranes in order to obtain excellent thermal and chemical stability properties.
Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775317309679
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 6.395
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Arnisson Andre C. Ortega
Population Institute
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
UP Diliman
Transnational Suburbia: Spatialities of Gated Suburbs and Filipino Diaspora in Manila’s Periurban Fringe. Annals of the American Association of Geographers , 108 (1): 106-124, 2018.
Figure 1. Outside the walls of Wisteria Lane, Cavite.
Figure 2. Transnational suburb framework in the Philippines.
The article uses a mixed method approach in examining the features of transnational suburbs in Manila’s periurban fringe. It identifies three spatial relationships that describe these suburbs. First, it traces the spatiotemporalities of Filipino diaspora, suburban expansion, and the real estate boom. Second, it discusses the idealization of “world-class” Anglo-American suburban developments as homes of “hard-working” and “deserving” overseas Filipinos. Third, it exposes the everyday suburbanisms inside gated subdivisions where transnational mobilities are negotiated in the lives of suburban residents. These accounts illustrate the contingencies and contradictions of transnationality and suburbanization.
Link to the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2017.1352482
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 2.799
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Rogelio Andrada II
Institute of Renewable Natural Resources
College of Forestry and Natural Resources
UP Los Baños
Visitors’ and Residents’ Perceptions of Urban Forests for Leisure in Washington D.C. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 28: 1-11, December 2017.
Fig. 1. Structural equation model and results for first timers. Note. Codes for observed variables are the same as those described in Table 2. The four latent variables in the model, Parks, Trees, Leisure, and Satisfac, refer to “Beliefs in parks and gardens”, “Beliefs in street trees”, “Leisure value of urban forests”, and “Destination satisfaction”, respectively. Values on the paths linking two latent variables refer to regression weights. Values on the paths between observed variables and associated latent variable refer to factor loadings, and the value besides each observed variable refers to the measurement error. All values were estimated with standardised solution.
While there is an increasing number of studies on the experience of urban forests, few have examined the similarities and differences between first time visitors, repeat visitors, and local residents in their perceptions of urban forests for leisure. This study fills this research gap using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), based on data collected from a year-long survey in Washington D.C. Results indicate that participants are generally positive on urban forests’ value for leisure and are highly satisfied with their leisure experience in the city, with “beliefs in parks and gardens” and “beliefs in street trees” being assessed the highest and lowest, respectively. The study also finds that interaction effects do exist between gender, season, location, and past experience, suggesting respondents’ visiting experience with urban forests is multidimensional, contextual, and situational. Specifically, the older the respondents are more positive in their responses. A location with diverse and dense urban forests is more likely to stimulate positive perceptions, for first timers. In addition, residents tend to focus on recreational aspects of urban forests as opposed to visitors, especially repeaters who are more likely to value the visual and aesthetic aspects of urban forests. The study also showed that street trees significantly contribute to repeaters’ satisfaction via their perceptions of “leisure value of urban forests” while no such relationship exists for first timers and residents. Urban parks and gardens are found to significantly and positively contribute to visiting experience which leads to satisfaction for each respondent group.
Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866717301528
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 2.113
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Jasmin T. Tutor and Christine L. Chichioco-Hernandez
Institute of Chemsitry
College of Science
UP Diliman
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition of Fractions from Eleusine indica Leaf Extracts. Pharmacognosy Journal, 10 (1): 25-28, January-February 2018.
Hypertension is a condition where the blood pressure in the arteries is consistently high. People with hypertension are more likely to have stroke, heart attack, and target organ damage. According to the Philippine Society of Hypertension, about 200,000 deaths per year are caused by target organ damage brought about by hypertension. One way to combat hypertension is by using medication, an example of which are ACE inhibitors. ACE inhibitors work by blocking the action of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a chemical in our body that helps in producing a hormone called angiotensin-II. Angiotensin II increases our blood pressure by narrowing down our blood vessels. So if we block the action of ACE, less angiotensin-II will be produced, then our blood vessels can relax and our blood pressure will be reduced. In this study, we prepared extracts from ground leaves of Eleusine indica using three solvents: methyl alcohol, hexane, and ethyl acetate. Through a biochemical analysis, we found that the ethyl acetate extract can block ACE activity. The ethyl acetate extract contains many compounds that we separated using a method called Vacuum Liquid Chromatography (VLC). The fractions collected from VLC were tested and we found that some fractions can block ACE activity. We have confirmed through this study that Eleusine indica leaves can be a new source of anti-hypertension drugs. Results from this study will serve as guide for future studies involving the development of new ACE inhibitors with better effectivity and fewer associated side effects.
Link to the article: http://www.phcogj.com/article/464
Impact Factor: Not yet available
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Cristine Margaret R. Atienza
Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business
UP Diliman
Building Organizational Identity: an Insider Action Research from a Founder’s Viewpoint. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 30 (6): 569–592, December 2017.
A-Founder’s integrative theory of organizational identity building.
Conceptual model of an action research thesis (Perry and Zuber-Skerritt 2002, p. 177, as cited in Zuber-Skerrit and Fletcher 2007, p. 241; Coghlan and Brannick 2014, p. 164).
The main contribution of this research is the A-Founder’s Integrative Theory of Organizational Identity Building, which explains how the work of identity formation starts from the articulation of the envisioned organizational identity by the founder. The better the clarity of this articulation, the greater is the expected level of organizational identification by members. This direct relationship is moderated by the quality of integrative leadership practiced by the founder. However, the impact of leadership is moderated by the contextual differences among members, given the probable differences in their personal and professional contexts thus, affecting their capacity to understand the organizational identity and leading to differential outcomes in the ascribed organizational identity. This explains that the contingent outcomes of the identification process is socially influenced. The contextual differences of organizational members can delay (or advance) the processes of organizational identity building and the formation of an identity-based organizational culture. This social mechanism then explains the differences in the outcomes among organizational members, even though they received the same organizational vision and leadership from their founder. Meanwhile, the formation of a learning culture that is anchored on the unique identity of the organization highly depends on the level of organizational identification by members. This identity- based learning culture is created and maintained through the processes of critical reflection and meaningful dialogue, which feed each other in order to achieve transformative learning, the key to embedding organizational identity in culture through a deep and conviction-based understanding and assimilation of identity.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 0.677
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Ligaya Leah Lara Figueroa
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
Modelling the Effect of Deprived Physical Urban Environments on Academic Performance in the Philippines. GeoJournal, 83 (1): 13–30, February 2018.
Link to the article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-016-9751-x
Impact Factor: Not yet available
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Clarissa C. David
Department of Graduate Studies
College of Mass Communication
UP Diliman
“Frame Analysis” in The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Jörg Matthes (editor). Hoboken, New Jersey, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2017.
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Primitivo Jose A. Santos and Maria Lea H. Villavicencio
Institute of Plant Breeding
College of Agriculture and Food Science
UP Los Baños
“Germplasm Establishment and Selection of Drought-Tolerant Lines of Jatropha in the Philippines” in The Jatropha Genome. Suguru Tsuchimoto (editor). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017.
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Kate Tungpalan and Emmy Manlapig
Department of Mining Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
The Role of Vein-Type Mineralisation in Mineral Liberation. Minerals Engineering, 116: 209-212, 15 January 2018.
Fig. 1. Classified MLA images used in random masking simulation of breakage to predict liberation (a) original slab image, (b) processed slab image showing only the veins, (c) block of crushed ore particles.
The research describes the role of vein structures to better understand and interpret the origin of mineral liberation based on random masking simulation. Semicircular slabs from a copper porphyry deposit were selected and analysed in the MLA. Classified MLA images were then subjected to image processing to identify and separate the veins from the disseminated grains. Random masking was applied on the images to simulate breakage and determine liberation of sulphides. The results provided an indication of the contribution of veins in the liberation of minerals at coarser size and the increased degree of liberation. The work also suggests cutting drill cores and using slabs for texture analysis provides more intact textural features of the ore both at micro and mesoscale thus providing a better understanding of the origin of mineral liberation.
Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892687517301723
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 2.286
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Eduardo T. Gonzalez
Korean Research Center
Center for Integrative and Development Studies
UP System
Judicialized Governance in the Philippines: Toward New Environmental Judicial Principles that Translate into Effective “Green” Policies and Citizen Empowerment. Philippine Political Science Journal, 38 (2): 81-103, 2017.
The Philippine judiciary has lately taken a key role in government's responses to environmental problems, taking upon itself the task of enforcing environmental laws, a duty ordinarily associated with the executive branch. The high court’s environmental interventions so far include taking preventive action—using the so-called precautionary principle—in the face of scientific uncertainty, invoking the writ of continuing mandamus to direct government agencies to do their duty continuously until the court is fully satisfied, and relaxing court standing requirements to expand access to environmental justice by the poor and other vulnerable sectors. More innovatively, it came out with its very own Writ of Kalikasan—a world first—the legal recourse for those whose constitutional right to “a balanced and healthful ecology” is unlawfully violated. In effect, the high court has stepped into the shoes of the government administrators—a practice of selective judicial activism to change existing, and considered ineffective, governance. Such exploration of a wide range of alternatives to possibly injurious actions is based upon a fresh understanding of the uncommon legal authority granted by the 1987 constitution, which gives the high court a far-reaching range of powers to help protect environmental rights. In essence, the constitution has transferred some decision making authority to unelected judges. Yet in the process, it is the unelected high court that has brought a new ethic of governance by ensuring that the executive branch does its job well and consistently, at the very least in the critical field of environment.
Link to the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01154451.2017.1371907
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 0.333
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Rafael B. Jaculbia, Jessica Pauline Afalla, Maria Herminia Balgos, Karim Omambac, Deborah Anne Lumantas, Arnel Salvador, Elmer Estacio and Armando Somintac
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman
Tunneling at Room Temperature in GaAs/AlGaAs Asymmetric Coupled Double Quantum Wells Observed via Time Resolved Photoluminescence Spectroscopy. Superlattices and Microstructures, 109: 324-329, September 2017.
Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749603617306626
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 2.123
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Bryan John J. Subong, Garry A. Benico, Lourdes J. Cruz, Rhodora V. Azanza and Elsie C. Jimenez*
Marine Science Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman
*Department of Physical Sciences
College of Science
UP Baguio
Toxicity and Protein Expression of Alexandrium Species Collected in the Philippine Waters. Philippine Journal of Science, 146 (4): 425-436, December 2017.
Figure 1. (A-C) Alexandrium cf. pacificum: (A) Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) image showing the roundish to pentagonal shape and centrally located nucleus (n); (B) Laser micrograph in ventral view showing the first apical plate (1’) without ventral pore (vp) and wider than longer sixth precingular plate (6’’); (C) Antapical view showing isodiametric and rhomboidal posterior sulcal plate (Sp) and posterior attachment pore (pap). (D-F) Alexandrium affine: (D) DIC image showing the centrally located nucleus (n) (E) Laser micrograph in ventral view showing the first apical plate (1’) with ventral pore (vp) and wider than longer sixth precingular plate (6’’). Apical pore complex (APC) with anterior attachment pore (aap) located directly above the foramen; (F) Antapical view showing the isodiametric posterior sulcal plate (Sp) and second antapical plate (2’’’’). Bar = 10 μm.
Figure 3. Proteome profiles of cultured Alexandrium cf. pacificum collected in (A) Anda Channel (ATANDA) and (B) Bolinao Channel (ATBOL), obtained by 2-D gel electrophoresis, showing the unique protein spot (At01) in ATANDA strain.
The toxicity and expression of proteins of two organisms scientifically called Alexandrium affine and Alexandrium cf. pacificum were done. Several types of toxins causing Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) were found to be produced by their cells that were grown in the laboratory. These results are contributions to the possible use of biological markers of these toxins that could be developed for monitoring and management of their blooms/ excessive growth in the sea thereby causing poisoning through the food chain.
Link to the article: http://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/pdf/pjs_pdf/vol146no4/toxicity_and_protein_expression_of_Alexandrium_species.pdf
Impact Factor: Not yet available
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Aries A. Arugay
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
UP Diliman
“Varieties of Authoritarianism and the Limits of Democracy in Southeast Asia” in Contemporary Southeast Asia: The Politics of Change, Contestation, and Adaptation 3rd Edition. Alice D. Ba and Mark Beeson (editors). London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
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Rafael Vincent M. Manalo
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
College of Medicine
UP Manila
Anastasis and the ER Stress Response: Solving the Paradox of the Unfolded Protein Response in Cancer. Medical Hypotheses, 109: 25-27, November 2017.
The recalcitrant behavior of tumors, as well as their unpredictable recurrence in survivors, have puzzled scientists in the field on how to find a cure. Recently, a new phenomenon termed ‘anastasis’ – literally the rising back to life of cells – was discovered in cancer cell lines subjected to extreme stress. This paper proposes that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has a role beyond what was previously thought of, and that stress response is a process executed even at the brink of cell death. Here, I show that C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) not only induces apoptosis but also allows the cell to survive, by allowing expedited genetic alterations to occur to maximize its response to stress. At the removal of the stress stimulus, which resembles the interval administration of suboptimal cancer chemotherapy, tumors – now with manifold genetic variation – fully recover with an enhanced probability to metastasize. Hence, late-stage apoptosis is not reversible – as the scientists who coined anastasis have proposed – and the ER stress response may still occur at late stage apoptosis! Thus, anastasis is supported, and its occurrence solves the paradox of the unfolded protein response in cancer.
Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987717305959
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 1.066
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Lily Rose Tope
Department of English and Comparative Literature
College of Arts and Letters
UP Diliman
“Women and the Authoritarian State: The Southeast Asian Experience” in The Southeast Asian Women Writes Back: Gender, Identity and Nation in the Literatures of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Grace V. S. Chin and Kathrina Mohd Daud (editors). Singapore: Springer, 2018.
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Marie Carmela M. Lapitan
Department of Surgery
College of Medicine
UP Manila
Symptom Prevalence, Bother, and Treatment Satisfaction in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Southeast Asia: A Multinational, Cross-Sectional Survey. World Journal of Urology, 36 (1): 79–86, January 2018.
Fig. 1
Study flowchart.
The study is a survey using a questionnaire conducted among 1535 men consulting at a clinic for problems in urination in six Southeast Asian countries. Maost of the men were 56-75 years. The most common symptoms reported by the men include frequent urination at night, slow stream, dribbling of urine after voiding, and feeling of urgency. Some differences in the prevalence of symptoms were seen across the different countries. Most men were bothered by their symptoms. Most men have already received some form of treatment before seeing a specialist. Most were not entirely satisfied with their previous treatment.
Link to the article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00345-017-2097-2
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 2.743
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Esmerita R. Rotor
Department of Physical Therapy
College of Allied Medical Professions
UP Manila
Clinical Reasoning of Filipino Physical Therapists: Experiences in a Developing Nation. PhysioTherapy Theory and Practice, 34 (3): 181-193, 2018.
Physical therapy is a health discipline that promotes movement and mobility among patients or clients across the lifespan. Physical therapists are expected to make decisions during the PT process of evaluation, diagnosis and management. This process of decision making is complex and context- dependent requiring one to have a sound professional knowledge and complex thinking skills, called clinical reasoning. Literature has established that clinical reasoning skills will lead to improved patient outcomes and professional fulfillment. Interviews with 10 physical therapists working in either one of three settings; hospital, out-patient clinic and home-health revealed that 1) a prescription-based referral system limited clinical reasoning; and 2) practice setting and the professional relationship with the referring physician influenced clinical reasoning. This suggests that there is a lack of autonomy in practice that appears to stifle clinical reasoning. This study recommends that current regulations governing PT practice be updated and encourage educators to strengthen teaching strategies that support clinical reasoning. These recommendations are consistent with the global trend toward autonomous practice.
Link to the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09593985.2017.1390802
Impact Factor: (2016/2017) 0.804
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Aura C. Matias
Department of Industrial Engineering
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
“Prevalence, Severity, and Risk Factors of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Stevedores in a Philippine Break-Bulk Port Terminal” in Advances in The Human Side of Service Engineering. Louis E. Freund and Wojciech Cellary (editors). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018.
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Aura C. Matias
Department of Industrial Engineering
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
“A Task Analysis of Small-Scale Jewelry Craft Workers to Investigate the Effects of Work System Elements and Sitting Mobility on Body Discomfort” in Advances in The Human Side of Service Engineering. Louis E. Freund and Wojciech Cellary (editors). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018.
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Aura C. Matias
Department of Industrial Engineering
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
“Work-Related Factors Affecting Sustained Alert State Among Bank Security Personnel in the Philippines” in Advances in The Human Side of Service Engineering. Louis E. Freund and Wojciech Cellary (editors). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018.
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Rhodora V. Azanza
Marine Science Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman
“Reproductive Biology and Eco-physiology of Farmed Kappaphycus and Eucheuma” in Tropical Seaweed Farming Trends, Problems and Opportunities: Focus of Kappaphycus and Eucheuma of Commerce. Anicia Q. Hutado, Alan T. Critchley and Iain C. Neish (editors). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2017
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Kristoffer B. Berse
National College of Public Administration and Governance
UP Diliman
“Cities as Aid Agencies? Preliminary Prospects and Cautionary Signposts from Post-Disaster Interurban Cooperation in Asia” in Crossing Borders: Governing Environmental Disasters in a Global Urban Age in Asia and the Pacific. Michelle Ann Miller, Michael Douglass and Matthias Garschagen (editors). Singapore: Springer, 2018.
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Jorge V. Tigno
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
UP Diliman
“The Philippines” in Routledge Handbook of Civil Society in Asia. Akihiro Ogawa (editor). New York, USA: Routledge, 2018.
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Patricia B. Arinto
Faculty of Education
UP Open University
Issues and Challenges in Open and Distance E-Learning: Perspectives from the Philippines. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 17 (2): 162-180, February 2016.
Rapid advances in information and communications technology in the digital age have brought about significant changes in distance education (DE) practice worldwide. DE practitioners in the Philippines’ open university have coined the term ‘open and distance e-learning’ (ODeL) to refer to the new forms of DE characterised by the convergence of an open learning philosophy, DE pedagogies, and e-learning technologies. This paper discusses the issues and challenges that ODeL poses from the point of view of the institution’s leading ODeL practitioners. While there is willingness to explore new practices and new directions in ODeL, these practitioners cite as a continuing challenge how to foster innovative teaching and learning practice across the institution as a whole, given faculty resistance to innovation, uneven innovation practice, and lack of standards for innovation. The study’s findings have implications for academic developers and administrators, particularly with regard to the design of faculty development programmes, provision of faculty support, and strategic planning for ODeL implementation across the institution. Specifically, training workshops should aim to develop a comprehensive range of ODeL skills in a systematic and coherent way, and such workshops should be part of a holistic academic development programme in ODeL that also includes opportunities for individual and collaborative experimentation, and sharing of experiences and innovations using various tools and resources and with the appropriate technical support. There is also a need for strategic policy development and organisational restructuring for the effective implementation of ODeL. The findings and conclusions are relevant for other institutions in the same stage of ODeL development.
Link to the article: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1913
Impact Factor: (2016) 1.734
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