IPA Recipients for May 2016

Lilia S. Collado
Food Science Cluster
College of Agriculture
UP Los Baños

Indentation as a Potential Mechanical Test for Textural Noodle Quality. Journal of Food Engineering, 177: 42–49, May 2016. 

Catchy title of research: A reliable mechanical test for noodle texture is being developed.

It is possible to use mechanical tests  like indentation to assess texture suitability of raw materials such as sweet potato, mung bean, rice, sorghum starches, wheat, buckwheat, millet and semolina flours for specific end use such as noodles. Based on consistent data gathered it has potential as a reliable texture quality indicator alongside subjective methods like sensory evaluation. Further studies will have to be done to correlate data with specific textural quality of noodles samples as perceived by trained panelists.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260877415300868
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.771

Mark Albert H. Zarco
Department of Civil Engineering
College of Engineering
UP Diliman

Predicting The Stress-Strain Behavior of Mine Tailing Using Modified Hyperbolic Model. International Journal of GEOMATE, 10 (3): 1834-1841, May 2016.

Mine tailings, which are a byproduct of mining operations, constitute a significant environmental risk in the Philippines. One way to respond to this issue is to explore useful applications for these water materials. While recent studies have focused on the use of mine tailings as a alternative construction material, very little is known about its engineering properties. In a previous study, the authors characterized the physical properites and hydraulic conductivity of the mine tailings in the Philippines. In this research study, the author investigates the shear strength and deformation characteristics  of mine tailings in the Philippines. The added knowledge obtained from these two studies regarding the engineering properties of mine taililngs will help engineer in designing both facillities for retaining mine tailings as well as embankements constructed from mine tailings.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Analyn Salvador-Amores
Department of Social Anthropology and Psychology
College of Social Sciences
UP Baguio

Afterlives of Dean C. Worcester’s Colonial Photographs: Visualizing Igorot Material Culture, from Archives to Anthropological Fieldwork in Northern Luzon. Visual Anthropology, 29 (1): 54-80, January 2016.

Dean C. Worcester, an American colonial official, journeyed through northern Luzon in the early 1900s, recording the people’s appearance, customs and material culture. His photographs had a profound impact on scientific activities in the Philippines, fostering an implicit theme of the unreadiness of the Filipinos for independence. While the photographs also reflect the paradigm of social evolutionism, I argue that they provide substantial visual evidence of the Igorots’ way of life, and can be used effectively in photo-elucidation today. This reveals deeper meanings of Igorot material culture through local narratives, meaningful analysis and closer examination.

Link to the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08949468.2016.1108832#.VyvYTdIrKM8
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Patricia Marion Y. Lopez
Department of Art Studies
College of Arts and Letters
UP Diliman

Mary as Mother in the Flores de Mayo in Poblacion, Oslob. Humanities Diliman, 13 (1): 98-133, January-June 2016.

Link to the article: http://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/humanitiesdiliman/article/view/4932
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Marjorie Pajaron
School of Economics
UP Diliman

Heterogeneity in the Intrahousehold Allocation of International Remittances: Evidence from Philippine Households. The Journal of Development Studies, 52 (6): 854-875, June 2016. 

This article shows that heterogeneity in the intrahousehold allocation of remittances sent by temporary international migrant workers exists among households in the Philippines, and may be attributable to the absence of the spouse, suggesting moral hazard, and to the gender and educational attainment of the household head, indicating differences in preferences. GLM estimates and post-estimation tests reveal that male heads spend more on alcohol and tobacco, that the presence of a female decision-maker in a household increases allocations to goods that improve the welfare of the children, and that household heads with less formal education allocate more to education.

Link to the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220388.2015.1113261#.VyvhENIrKM8
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.983

Joseph J. Capuno, Aleli D. Kraft and Stella Quimbo
School of Economics
UP Diliman

Effects of Price, Information, and Transactions Cost Interventions to Raise Voluntary Enrollment in a Social Health Insurance Scheme: A Randomized Experiment in the Philippines. Health Economics, 25 (6): 650–662, June 2016.

Catchy title of research: Effects of Interventions to Raise Voluntary Enrollment in a Social Health Insurance Scheme: A Randomized Experiment in the Philippines

A cluster randomized experiment was undertaken testing two sets of interventions encouraging enrollment in the Individually Paying Program (IPP), the voluntary component of the Philippines’ social health insurance program. In early 2011, 1037 unenrolled IPP-eligible families in 179 randomly selected intervention municipalities were given an information kit and offered a 50% premium subsidy valid until the end of 2011; 383 IPP-eligible families in 64 control municipalities were not. In February 2012, the 787 families in the intervention sites who were still IPP-eligible but had not enrolled had their vouchers extended, were resent the enrollment kits and received SMS reminders. Half the group also received a ‘handholding’ intervention: in the endline interview, the enumerator offered to help complete the enrollment form, deliver it to the insurer’s office in the provincial capital, and mail the membership cards. The main intervention raised the enrollment rate by 3 percentage points, with an 8 ppt larger effect among city-dwellers, consistent with travel time to the insurance office affecting enrollment. The handholding intervention raised enrollment by 29 ppts, with a smaller effect among city-dwellers, likely because of shorter travel times, and higher education levels facilitating unaided completion of the enrollment form.

Link to the article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.3291/abstract
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.227

Mark Daniel G. de Luna and Kim Katrina P. Rivera*
Department of Chemical Engineering
*Environmental Engineering Graduate Program
College of Engineering
UP Diliman

Alachlor Photocatalytic Degradation Over Uncalcined Fe–TiO2 Loaded on Granular Activated Carbon Under UV and Visible Light Irradiation. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57 (15): 6712-6722, March 2016. 

Alachlor is a recalcitrant carcinogenic contaminant that may easily spread in water sources due to its wide usage as an herbicide. The aim of this study is to synthesize Fe-TiO₂ on granular activated carbon (GAC) support via hydrothermal method for the photocatalytic degradation of alachlor under ultraviolet and visible light irradiation. The effects of Fe-TiO₂ loading, initial alachlor concentration, and initial solution pH were determined using Box-Behnken design (BBD). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of Fe-TiO₂-GAC samples showed anatase TiO₂ peaks as well as the graphite peak from carbon. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images verified that Fe-TiO₂ was immobilized onto the GAC. In UV photocatalysis, the interaction between Fe and TiO₂ loading and initial alachlor concentration is significant wherein low Fe-TiO₂ loading and 50 ppm initial alachlor concentration increased the removal efficiency. In visible light photocatalysis, low Fe-TiO₂ loading and initial alachlor concentrations of 30 and 70 ppm are significant. The interactions of the initial solution pH with Fe-TiO₂ loading and initial alachlor concentration are also significant in which low solution pH increased alachlor removal for low Fe-TiO₂ loading and low initial concentration. The highest alachlor removal percentages obtained were 99.74 and 99.96% under UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. Total organic carbon analysis confirmed the mineralization of alachlor with 92.44 and 66.49% removal by UV and visible light photocatalysis, respectively.

Link to the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19443994.2015.1011706
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.173

Evan Angelo Mondarte, Vernalyn Copa, Anthony Tuico, Christopher Jude Vergara, Elmer Estacio, Arnel Salvador and Armando Somintac
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman

Al-Doped ZnO and N-Doped CuxO Thermoelectric Thin Films for Self-Powering Integrated Devices. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, 45: 27–31, April 2016.

Catchy title of research: Thermoelectric devices based on doped ZnO and Cu_xO

Thermoelectric materials are projected to be useful for self-powered devices which are driven by the heat in their working environment. In this work, low thermoelectric materials based on doped ZnO and Cu_xO were fabricated to harvest heat energy for electrical energy generation. The study proved that these doped materials exhibit stable Seebeck coefficient values in the tested temperature range. The compact design of the fabricated thermoelectric device paves the way in powering devices even in the micro-scale. 

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369800116300142
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.955

Shirley V. Guevarra
Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management
College of Home Economics
UP Diliman

“Foodways of Lowland Sariaya: Towards a Sustainable Food Tourism” in The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Food and Gastronomy. Philip Sloan, Willy Legrand and Calre Hindley (editors). New York, USA: Routledge, 2015.

Mary Leian C. Marasigan
SOLAIR
UP Diliman

“How Work in the BPO Sector Affects Employability: Perceptions of ex-BPO Workers in Metro Manila” in The Local Impact of Globalization in South and Southeast Asia: Offshore Business Processes in Services Industries. Bart Lambregts, Niels Beerepoot and Robert C. Kloosterman (editors). New York, USA: Routledge, 2016.

Sophia Francesca DP. Lu
Department of Social Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila

Formal Institutions and Women’s Electoral Representation in Four European Countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 17 (1): 19-29, January 2016.

Catchy title of research: Is Politics a Men’s Sport in Europe?

 

In Europe, particularly in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, structures have been established to enable women to have an equal chance in the playing field of politics. Statistical analysis was done to determine whether there really is an association between the strength and level of structures placed to improve women’s political participation and percentage of women in parliament. The data set of this study was culled from the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, which was spearheaded by the University of Michigan. The following are some structures that were analyzed:
1. Electoral quotas
2. Internal party quotas Electoral quotas, however, were only analyzed for Belgium, as the Netherlands, Italy and Germany do not have constitutionally mandated electoral quotas for women, while, all four countries were analyzed for internal party quotas.
The results show that the presence of electoral quotas has a positive correlation with women’s representativeness in the government. Also, the higher internal quota for women in a political party, the higher the chance of the woman to be nominated in a governmental position. Hence, countries that eye an increased active role of women in politics should employ gender quotas, whether it be electoral quota at the government level or internal party quota, at the political party level.

Link to the article: http://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1836&context=jiws
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Sophia Francesca DP. Lu
Department of Social Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila

Women’s Electoral Participation in Muslim Majority and Non-Muslim Majority Countries. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 14 (3): 137-147, July 2013.

Catchy title of research: Is Politics Only for Men?

 

 

Political participation, particularly electoral participation, of women in the Middle East is a continuing issue. With numerous political uprisings and uproar of the citizenry, there still remains the lingering question of whether women are permitted to engage in the political arena. This study analyzed data collected by the University of Michigan, accessed through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. The unit of analysis of the data set is at the political party level in 26 countries. Different statistical measurements, which include, but are not limited to, t-test, Pearson’s r, chisquare, and correlation, were used to analyze the following indicators of political participation:
1. Electoral quota for women
2. Internal party quota
3. Percent share of women in decision-making bodies
4. Percentage share of female nominees. The data results show that there is, indeed, a higher level of political participation among women in non Muslim majority countries compared to Muslim majority countries.
As an effect, policy-formulation for the advancement of women’s right are lower in Muslim majority countries, mainly because of the minimal- and sometimes non-representation of women in decision making bodies. The need for modernization and alignment of socio-political rights of women in the Middle East to the guidelines set by the United Nations is paramount in the furtherance of gender equality.

Link to the article: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol14/iss3/10/
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Rizalino B. Cruz
National College of Public Administration and Governance
UP Diliman

“Contracting: Political Markets” in Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, Third Edition. Domonic A. Bearfield and Melvin J. Dubnick (editors).Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press, 2015.

Juan M. Pulhin
Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance
College of Forestry and Natural Resources
UP Los Baños

Formalizing Indigenous Commons: The Role of ‘Authority’ in the Formation of Territories in Nicaragua, Bolivia, and the Philippines. World Development, 70: 228–238, June 2015.

Indigenous peoples have sometimes sought the formalization of their customary territories to ensure the enforcement of their borders. The process of formalization, however, generates new conflicts. The process of constituting collective territories is intimately related to the constitution of authority, as it involves not only the negotiation of physical boundaries but also the recognition of a particular entity to represent the collective. Similarly, given that ‘authority’ implies legitimacy, such legitimacy will have to be produced. Comparing indigenous territories in Nicaragua, Bolivia, and the Philippines, this article shows how authority emerges from conflictive processes and shapes rights and powers over forests.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15000285
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.965

Vera Horigue and Porfirio M. Aliño
Marine Science Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman

Influence of Governance Context on the Management Performance of Marine Protected Area Networks. Coastal Management, 44 (1): 71-91, February 2016.

Catchy title of research: Contextual factors influence performance of marine reserve networks 

Scholars, conservationists, and government agencies in the Philippines are now urging local governments to form collaborative partnerships, also called alliances, to be able to scale up individual marine reserves into networks of marine reserves. However, establishment and management of networks are more complex compared to individual reserves, primarily due to the involvement of multiple governance units. This paper discusses how governance context, particularly the size, institutional arrangements, and complexity of social, economic and political contexts of local governments, influence participation and management performance of networks. We defined participation as the involvement of local governments and their communities in decision-making. Moreover, we defined management performance as “the level of effort exerted to enhance and sustain management of marine reserves, and coordinate expansion of such reserves among multiple governance units” (Horigue et al., 2014). We found that the network size, or the number of local government members, did not affect participation. However, we found that institutional arrangements, and the social, economic and political contexts of the governments in a network influence participation and management performance. Specifically, we found that simpler objectives and engagements, more inclusive membership, good communication, incentive systems and strong leadership increased participation and management performance of networks.

Link to the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08920753.2016.1116678#.VzUB3tIrKM8
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.877

Maricar L. Rabonza, Raquel P. Felix, Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay, Rodrigo Narod C. Eco , Iris Jill G. Ortiz and Dakila T. Aquino
National Institute of Geological Sciences
College of Science
UP Diliman

Shallow Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using High-Resolution Topography for Areas Devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan. Landslides, 13 (1): 201-210, February 2016.

Super typhoon Haiyan, considered as one of the most powerful storms recorded in 2013, devastated the central Philippines region on 8 November 2013 with damage amounting to more than USD 2 billion. Hardest hit is the province of Leyte which is located in central Philippines. Rehabilitation of the areas that were devastated requires detailed hazard maps as a basis for well-planned reconstruction. Along with severe wind, storm surge, and flood hazard maps, detailed landslide susceptibility maps for the cities and municipalities of Leyte province are necessary. In order to rapidly assess and delineate areas susceptible to rainfall-induced shallow landslides, Stability INdex MAPping (SINMAP) software was used over high-resolution topographic data with 5-meter accuracy. Topographic, soil strength, and rainfall parameters were used to compute for the corresponding factor of safety. The landslide maps generated using SINMAP are highly consistent with the actual landslides derived from high-resolution satellite imagery from 2002 to 2014 with an associated 97.5% accuracy. These demonstrate that SINMAP performs well despite the lack of an extensive geotechnical and hydrological database in the study area. The detailed landslide susceptibility classification is useful to identify safe and unsafe areas for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. These maps complement the debris flow and structurally controlled landslide hazard maps that are also being prepared for rebuilding Haiyan’s devastated areas.

Link to the article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10346-015-0626-x
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.870

Joseph A. De Mesa, Annaliza M. Amo, Jessa Jayne C. Miranda, Hernanie O. Salazar, Roland V. Sarmago and Wilson O. Garcia
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman

Effects of Deposition Pressure and Target-Substrate Distance on Growth of ZnO by Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition. Journal of Laser Micro Nanoengineering, 11 (1): 21-24, February 2016.

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) was deposited on silicon substrate. A high power laser beam was focused inside a vacuum chamber to strike the ZnO material that is to be deposited. Deposition pressure and the distance between the target and substrate were varied to investigate its effect on the crystallinity, morphology and elemental composition present in the samples.

Link to the article: http://search.proquest.com/openview/1ffba7b5fed6b308dc2c08ccda7e2b9d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=986351
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.008

Clarissa C. David
College of Mass Communication
UP Diliman

Tweeting Supertyphoon Haiyan: Evolving Functions of Twitter during and after a Disaster Event. PLoS One, 11 (3): e0150190, 19 pages, 28 March 2016.

Catchy title of research: Tweeting Supertyphoon Haiyan: Evolving Functions of Twitter during and after a Disaster Event

When disaster events capture global attention users of Twitter form transient interest communities that disseminate information and other messages online. This paper examines content related to Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) as it hit the Philippines and triggered international humanitarian response and media attention. It reveals how Twitter conversations about disasters evolve over time, showing an issue attention cycle on a social media platform. The paper examines different functions of Twitter and the information hubs that drive and sustain conversation about the event. Content analysis shows that the majority of tweets contain information about the typhoon or its damage, and disaster relief activities. There are differences in types of content between the most retweeted messages and posts that are original tweets. Original tweets are more likely to come from ordinary users, who are more likely to tweet emotions, messages of support, and political content compared with official sources and key information hubs that include news organizations, aid organization, and celebrities. Original tweets reveal use of the site beyond information to relief coordination and response.

Link to the article: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0150190
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 3.234

Ralph John de la Cruz
Institute of Mathematics
College of Science
UP Diliman

On the Diagonalizability of a Matrix by a Symplectic Equivalence, Similarity or Congruence Transformation. Linear Algebra and its Applications, 496: 288–306, 1 May 2016.

We characterize all matrices which are diagonalizable by a symplectic equivalence, similarity, or congruence transformation.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024379516000331
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.939

Elsie C. Jimenez
Department of Physical Sciences
College of Science
UP Baguio

“Conotoxins as Tools in Research on Nicotinic Receptors” in Toxins and Drug Discovery. P. Gopalakrishnakone (editor). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer, 2016.

Felino P. Lansigan
Institute of Statistics
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Baguio

“Adaptation Needs and Options” in Climate Change 2014 Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Working Group II Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Christopher B. Field, Vicente R. Barros, David Jon Dokken, Katherine J. Mach, Michael D. Mastrandrea, Monalisa ChatterJee, Kristie L. Ebi, Yuka Otsuki Estrada, Robert C. Genova, Betelhem Girma, Eric S. Kissel, Andrew N. Levy, Sandy MacCracken, Patrick R. Mastrandea and Leslie White (editors). New York, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Felino P. Lansigan and Amparo C. Dela Cruz
Institute of Statistics
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Baguio

“Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Agricultural Water Management in the Philippines” in Climate Change and Agricultural Water Management in Developing Countries. Chu Thai Hoanh, Robyn Johnston and Vladimir Smakhtin (editors). Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: CAB International, 2015.

Edsel Maurice T. Salvana
National Institute of Health
UP Manila

“Amebiasis” in Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics 20th Edition. Robert M. Kliegman, Bonita F. Stanton, Joseph W. St. Geme III, Nina F. Schor and Richard E. Behrman (editors). Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier, 2016.

Edsel Maurice T. Salvana
National Institute of Health
UP Manila

“Brucellosis” in Goldman-Cecil Medicine 25th Edition Volume 1. Lee Goldman and Andrew I. Schafer (editors). Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier, 2015.

Edsel Maurice T. Salvana
National Institute of Health
UP Manila

“American Trypanosomiasis (Chagas Disease; Trypanosoma cruzi)” in Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics 20th Edition. Robert M. Kliegman, Bonita F. Stanton, Joseph W. St. Geme III, Nina F. Schor and Richard E. Behrman (editors). Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier, 2016.

Sally B. Gutierez
National Institute For Science And Mathematics Education Development
UP Diliman

Teachers’ Reflective Practice in Lesson Study: A Tool for Improving Instructional Practice. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 63 (3): 314-328, 2015.

With advent of modernization, teacher development has moved beyond simple workshop or seminar styles. Most professional development efforts have embodied the idea of collaboration, mentoring, and reflection—known to be the essentials of professional development in the current time. Lesson study is a long-standing model which when examined clearly encompasses these essential components on the process of collaboratively planning, implementing, and discussing the outcomes of the research lesson based on student outcomes. In this study, collaborative reflection was highlighted in examining the impacts of lesson study as a PD model among public school teachers in a certain school in the Philippines. With the help of education specialists, teachers were empowered to do critical reflection on their current teaching practices against students’ responses. In essence, the study promotes active learning where teachers apply newly formulated strategies in understanding their own thinking and learning thus facilitating the growth of knowledge and development of higher-order thinking skills. 

Link to the article: http://ajer.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/1593
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Concepcion P. Ponce
Department of Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Visayas

Spectroscopic and Structural Studies of a Surface Active Porphyrin in Solution and in Langmuir–Blodgett Films. Langmuir, 31 (50): 13590–13599, 2015.

Catchy title of research: Well-ordered assembly of a surface active porphyrin

Concerns on the environmental impact and dwindling supplies of nonrenewable energy resources catalyzed the development of energy resources that are readily available, affordable, inexhaustible and environment friendly. Among the renewables, solar energy is increasingly becoming favored. However, the cost of solar cells remains one of the highest. Thus, making solar cell cost competitive remain a challenge. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are cost effective, easy to manufacture and flexible, but low efficiency remains its biggest disadvantage. Photon up-conversion (UC) – conversion of low energy light, normally not utilized by a solar cell, into usable high energy light, is a promising approach to improve the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). However, for molecules to be implemented in UC, schemes to control their arrangement is important. This is where the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique comes in handy. The LB method typically starts with spreading on the water surface a layer of molecules having a water-loving and water-hating groups. Controlled compression of the layer results in orderly arrangement of the molecules, which is crucial for UC processes.

Link to the article: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03171
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 4.457

Sofronio C. Camacho, Leni D. Camacho*, Dixon T. Gevaña* and Myrna G. Carandang**
Forest Development Center
*Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance
**Institute of Renewable Natural Resources
College of Forestry and Natural Resources
UP Los Baños

Economic Potential of Small-Scale Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) Production in the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Crop Science, 40 (3): 73-81, December 2015.

Catchy title of research: Economic Potential of Small-Scale Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) Production in the Philippines

The economic potential of establishing smallholder citronella grass (Cymbopogon winterianus) plantation for essential oil production was assessed. Data were gathered through key informant interviews, field visits and observations of citronella plantation and processing activities of the University of the Philippines Laguna-Quezon Land Grant (UP-LQLG). The various activities involved in essential oil production include: site preparation (e.g. brushing and clearing, cultivation of soil, holing, planting, and fertilizing); maintenance and protection; harvesting and hauling; and, processing of citronella grass. By estimate, 96 L ha-1 was produced per harvest which has a gross revenue of PhP115,200.00. With three harvests during the first year, the gross revenue was PhP 345,600.00. Considering all costs, the total net revenue of oil production during the first year of harvest was PhP135,562.20. Results also showed that pursuing such enterprise could be economically viable since its Net Present Value (NPV) in 10 years can reach as much as PhP2.891 M at 12% discount rate. This can be translated to PhP240.917 NPV ha-1. The projected internal rate of return for the same period is around 91%, a fairly attractive return on investment. The overall employment generation potential of the venture is also fairly attractive with an average of 936 MD ha-1 yr-1. One problem encountered that hindered the profitability of citronella production is that the UP-LQLG was not able to acquire an efficient extractor with which efficiency of oil extraction depends.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.170

Junie B. Billones, Maria Constancia O. Carrillo, Voltaire G. Organo, Stephani Joy Y. Macalino, Jamie Bernadette A. Sy, Inno A. Emnacen, Nina Abigail B. Clavio and Gisela P. Concepcion*
Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila
*Marine Science Institute
College of Science
UP Diliman

Toward Antituberculosis Drugs: In Silico Screening of Synthetic Compounds Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis L,D-Transpeptidase 2. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 10: 1147–1157, March 2016.

Catchy title of research: Well-ordered assembly of a surface active porphyrin

 

Tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is one of the major health concerns worldwide, resulting in almost 1.5 million deaths in 2014. Despite the availability of drugs such as isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, the incidence of TB remains high, especially in developing countries such as the Philippines. The alarming rise of multi- and extensively drug-resistant TB incidences has become a serious global health threat. Thus, new anti-TB drugs that can shorten the treatment regimen and/or target the resistant TB strains are urgently needed. The whole process of traditional drug discovery and development can take up to 15 years and cost millions of dollars before the drug can actually reach the market. Out of the millions of candidate drug compounds initially screened for a certain disease, only a few make it to clinical trials, and even after that, 10% of those compounds successfully get the final approval. For TB, the initial phase of drug discovery aims to identify “leads” with anti-TB activity and desirable drug-like properties through classic wet laboratory testing. However, this approach requires equipment with high-level of security and expert research skills in handling sensitive protocols used during drug screening. Fortunately, the use of computational screening methods can significantly reduce the cost, time, and effort needed for initial screening of candidate compounds with pharmacological activity against TB. After virtually screening over 4 million compounds in this work, one molecule stood out, exhibiting mycobacterial action comparable to Rifampicin, one of the first-line drugs for TB.

Link to the article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4795573/
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 3.028

Julius Fergy T. Rabago
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
College of Science
UP Baguio

On Second-Order Linear Recurrent Functions with Period k and Proofs to Two Conjectures of Sroysang. Hacettepe Journal of Mathematics and Statistics, 45 (2): 429-446, 2016.

In this work, we introduce the notion of second-order linear recurrent functions with period k and examine its properties. We then develop the concept using the notion of f-even and f-odd functions discussed in (Han, Kim, Neggers, 2012). We also investigate the products and quotients of these functions and provide in this work a proof of the conjecture of B. Sroysang (2013). In fact, we prove here a more general case of the problem which, in turn, also confirms recent results in the theory of Fibonacci functions (Sroysang, 2013).

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.413

Rhea G. Abisado, Jessica F. Simbahan, Veronica P. Migo and Lorele C. Trinidad
BIOTECH
UP Los Baños

Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Sulfate-reducing Bacteria Isolated from Toxic Element-contaminated Sediments in the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science, 144 (2): 129-137, December 2015.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) generated by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) has been noted as a potential solution to eliminate toxic elements from highly impacted sites. SRB cultures obtained from toxic element-contaminated sites [Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System (MMORS) in Bulacan and Mogpog River in Marinduque, Philippines were identified by molecular methods. Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene using universal bacterial primers and conventional characterization showed the pure cultures to be Desulfovibrio vulgaris. Mixed cultures revealed the presence of unclassified bacteria and representatives of the Gammaproteo-bacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. SRB were known to produce higher concentrations of H2S than any other bacteria (Postgate 1984). H2S reacts easily with toxic elements such as copper, zinc, and manganese forming stable and less toxic metal sulfides (Barbosa et al. 2014). Hence, SRB could be used for bioremediation to address the toxicity of metals released to the environment. This strategy is already considered an attractive alternative way of treating toxic element containing-waste (Barbosa et al. 2014).

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Vachel Gay V. Paller, Ronald Allan R. Sy and Modesto Z. Bandal Jr.
Institute of Biological Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños

Hematology and Histopathology of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) Infected with Acanthogyrus sp. (Acanthocephala: Quadrigyridae). Ecology, Environment and Conservation, 22 (1): 497-504, 2016.

Tilapia has been part of the Filipino diet ever since it was introduced in the country. The increasing demand of this fish in the Philippine market makes the aquaculture of tilapia become more popular attributable to the tremendous increased in economic potential. However this increase particularly in the culture systems would lead to successive deterioration of the environment and this factor has been linked with intensification in parasitic and infectious diseases.Over populated fish farming would mean close contact of organisms that would bear problems of parasitism. This is very significant since prevalence of parasite in fish culture is highly affected by the number of the population of the species.Parasitized fishes adversely affect the economy of fish culture. Other than production lossdue to mortality, parasitism also has considerable impact on growth, marketability, susceptibility to predation and secondary infection. Fish infected with parasite have symptoms like increased mucus secretion, eye lesions and bad quality. Also, nutrients which are supposed to be converted by the fish into biomass become nutrients for the parasite.This would make the fish culture economically inefficient as parasitic problems are the major limiting factor in fin fish aquaculture in terms of environmental health and profitability. Following the discovery of the occurrence of acanthocephalan parasites in freshwater fishes in the seven lakes of San Pablo, Laguna, Philippines, the worms was found to infect cichlids such as Nile tilapia.This present study was performed to evaluate the effect of acanthocephalan parasite, Acanthogyrus sp., on the general health of the fish hosts (Oreochromis niloticus). The worms were seen attached at the posteriorregion of the small intestine, with prevalence of 74% and mean intensity of 7 parasites per fish. Although histopathological and hematological changes were observed, the study revealed that the parasites had no severe effects on the general health of the fish, except for highly infected individuals which comprised about 3-5% of the population. This implies that the parasites could keep a healthy host population to ensure their survival. Furthermore, this is an evidence of  dynamic  host-parasite interactions in aquatic ecosystem.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Ricky B. Nellas
Institute of Chemistry
College of Science
UP Diliman

Pressure-Induced Conformational Switch of an Interfacial Protein. Proteins – StructureFunction and Bioinformatics, 84 (6): 820–827, June 2016.

Catchy title of research:  High pressure induced lipase activity: EXPLAINED!

 

Lipase is an essential enzyme for breaking down lipids. Interestingly, a lipase was reported to show improved activity at high pressure. To explain this unusual phenomenon, we look into the enzyme’s structural changes induced by high pressures using computer (molecular dynamics) simulations. By monitoring the opening of the access channel leading to the active site, we found that the protein undergoes a shape changeover and widens the access channel at high pressures. Particularly, a disordered amphiphilic α5 region of the protein becomes ordered at high pressure. Results from this work could be very useful in the design of mutant enzymes with specific industrial purposes.

Link to the article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/prot.25031/full
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.627

Destiny S. Lutero and Jerrold M. Tubay
Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños

A Fuzzy Goal Programming Model for Biodiesel Production. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 693: (1): 012007, 9 pages,7 March 2016.

A fuzzy goal programming (FGP) model for biodiesel production in the Philippines was formulated with Coconut (Cocos nucifera) and Jatropha (jatropha curcas) as sources of biodiesel. Objectives were maximization of feedstock production and overall revenue and, minimization of energy used in production and working capital for farming subject to biodiesel and non-biodiesel requirements, and availability of land, labor, water and machine time. All these objectives and constraints were assumed to be fuzzy. Model was tested for different sets of weights. Results for all sets of weights showed the same optimal allocation. Coconut alone can satisfy the biodiesel requirement of 2% per volume.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Eric A. Galapon
National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman

Internal One Degree of Freedom is Sufficient to Induce Exact Decoherance. Europhysics Letters, 113 (6): 6007, 6 pages, March 2016.

Catchy title of research: Environment is not necessary for quantum decoherence to occur

The paper shows that a one internal degree of freedom is sufficient to induce exact decoherence, contrary to the canonical belief that an environment of infinite number of degrees of freedom is necessary for decoherence to occur. It offers a solution to the long standing problem of decoherence of an isolated quantum system. It opens a completely new direction of research in quantum measurement theory and in the foundations of quantum mechanics. 

Link to the article: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1209/0295-5075/113/60007/meta
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.095

Jocelyn C. Pinzon
Arts and Humanities Cluster
UP Cebu

Remembering Philippine History: Satire in Popular Songs. South East Asia Research, 23 (3): 423-442, September 2015.

Catchy title of research: Philippine history and satire in Yoyoy Villame’s songs

The paper looks at how satire as a literary device is used to remember and comment on specific events in Philippine history based on two songs of Yoyoy Villame, namely, “Magellan” (1972) and “Diklamasyon (1999). The study names two ways of remembering Philippine history. One is through the textbook as a source of information. The other is through the tradition of ordinary folks like Villame taking the liberty of talking about events in the absence of written and sufficinet data. In the study, the latter is tantamount to reconstructing history which covers specific events in 1521 such as the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan to the archipelago, the Battle of Mactan, and the Portuguese soldier’s death in this research.  The study shows that talking and commenting about history can be read as remembering Spanish and American colonization, which, in this study, is done via popular music and satire (with burlesque, irony, parody, and codeswitching as satiric devices).  The study also shows that satire is a tool to express resistance to historical facts and that remembering history through satire and popular music can be done continually because technology enables repeated playing of songs. 

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Florencia G. Palis
Social Sciences Department
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños

Voices From The Field: Needs of Small-Scale Filipino Rice Farmers. Philippine Journal of Crop Science, 40 (1): 64-75, April 2015.

Catchy title of research: Listen to the Needs of Small-Scale Filipino Rice Farmers

Listening to the real needs of rice farmers is imperative to effect impact of government’s efforts in alleviating farmers from poverty. Various ethnographic methods were used in the study to assess the needs and coping mechanisms of small-scale rice farmers in the Philippines. Sufficient capital prevailed to be the most common need in rice farming. Other specific needs include low input cost, higher paddy price, access to equipment and post-harvest facilities, adequate irrigation system, farm-to-market roads, overcoming biotic stresses such as pests and diseases, overcoming abiotic stresses such as flooding and drought, and improved knowledge on rice farm management and technologies. Farmers were found to manage insufficiency of capital by borrowing money from informal lenders who charge them with high interest rates, and traders that require them to sell their produce immediately after harvest with a low paddy price. These situations entrapped our rice farmers in a cycle of poverty. Pro-farmer policies and programs that addressed real needs of farmers should be in place such as easy access to formal financial institutions with low interest rates and simplified credit requirements, a competitive paddy price, low input costs, livelihood programs to farmers and their households, access to post-harvest facilities, better irrigation systems and road infrastructures, and importantly, strengthening farmer organizations. 

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.170

Florencia G. Palis
Social Sciences Department
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños

Dissemination of Natural Resource Management Technology for Irrigated Rice in the Philippines: On-Farm Validation to National Extension. Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 38 (2): 219-233, 2015.

Catchy title of research: From Research to National Extension of Natural Resource Management Technologies for Irrigated Rice in the Philippines

Natural Resource Management (NRM) technologies, such as Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM), Ecologically-Based Rodent Management (EBRM) and Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) were tested and evaluated on-farm to determine their appropriateness for wide-scale dissemination and adoption of farmers.  In 2006, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) implemented a project on enhancing the delivery of NRM technologies for irrigated rice ecosystem from adaptive research to nationwide implementation. Activities of the collaborative project included training of partners, stakeholders’ workshop, establishment of demo farm cum learning field, information campaign and on-farm evaluation. Results revealed yield increases in demo plots of SSNM and EBRM, and reduction in production cost in AWD sites. Farmers were encouraged to continue using these NRM technologies, resulting to the integration of these NRM technologies into the National Rice Program through the PalayCheck system.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Florencia G. Palis
Social Sciences Department
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños

Early Harvest of Monsoon Rice to Address Seasonal Hunger in Northwest Bangladesh. Food Security, 8 (2): 443-457, April 2016.

The population of Bangladesh suffers badly from annual seasonal hunger called monga, which occurs severely from September to mid-November, due to the traditional practice of transplanting long duration varieties which are only harvested from mid-November until December.  Technology options such as short duration varieties (SDV) and direct seeding of rice (DSR) were introduced to allow early harvest to increase household food security and livelihood opportunities during and beyond the hunger season. The farmers who adopted SDV and/or DSR were able to harvest three weeks earlier than those who used the traditional practice of long duration varieties and transplanting. More than 70 % of the SDV_DSR farmers completed harvest by mid-October, and all had done so by the end of October. Only fewer than 5 % of farmers who grew long duration rice varieties that were transplanted, had harvested within the hungerperiod, with most of them (80 %) harvesting during the last week of November.  These monga technologies had generated significant, multifaceted impacts on the lives of rice farming communities in northwest Bangladesh by increasing rice production and income, along with creating additional jobs for the landless or agriculture day laborers in the lean or hungerperiod.

Link to the article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-016-0560-3
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Francis S. Magbanua
Institute of Biology
College of Science
UP Diliman

Individual and Combined Effects of Fine Sediment and Glyphosate Herbicide on Invertebrate Drift and Insect Emergence: A Stream Mesocosm Experiment. Freshwater Science, 35 (1): 139-151, March 2016.

Catchy title of research: Fine sediment affects invertebrate drift and insect emergence more than glyphosate herbicide

Aquatic ecosystems are generally subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors, including raised nutrient concentrations and inputs of fine sediment and pesticides. Because these stressors often operate in concert, attempts to understand how aquatic organisms and ecosystems respond to multiple stressors, and how multiple stressors interact, are now being made around the world. To add to this growing knowledge, this research addresses the combined effects of increased fine sediment load and the glyphosate formulation on the propensities of the invertebrates to drift or emerge and considers the nature of the interaction between these two types of stressors. This study showed that fine sediment was the more influential stressor compared with the 7-day pulse of glyphosate, with negative effects on drift propensities of 4 of the 10 most common invertebrate taxa, community-level measures of drift and adult emergence. Accordingly, resource managers should focus particular attention on minimizing erosion in stream catchments and sediment load into streams. However, this does not mean that managers should ignore glyphosate or other pesticides entering streams during terrestrial operations on farmland because glyphosate still produced some, albeit few, individual negative effects on the stream biota and a brief glyphosate exposure can result in longer-term ecological consequences.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.941

Chadwick C. Sy Su
Department of Arts and Communication
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila

Tenure as a Threat to Sustainability in Philippine Teriary Education Institutions. Jurnal Teknologi, 77 (26): 29-35, 2015.

Catchy title: Tenure may actually be a threat to the sustainability of colleges and universities in the Philippine context

Tenure is a hallmark of academia that may stand review and revision. Interviews and interactions with academics from three universities in Metro Manila, the Philippines, along with the author’s experience and interpretation of the findings, however, lead to the conclusion that tenure encourages work-life imbalance in the attempt to obtain it and then mediocrity after it is granted. This paper compares tenure policies in three universities in Metro Manila, the Philippines, seeking to interrogate present policies. For sustainability to be achieved, it is recommended that there be: (1) an increase in hiring of adjunct and visiting faculty; (2) recalibration of quantitative and qualitative indicators in determining faculty performance; and (3) high-value and long-term, but not lifetime, contracts to replace tenure. Compensation as a factor in educational sustainability and an increased number of reviewed institutions are recommended for future study. 

Link to the article: http://www.jurnalteknologi.utm.my/index.php/jurnalteknologi/article/view/6856
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Bing Baltazar C. Brillo
Institute of Governance and Rural Development
College of Public Affairs
UP Los Baños

An Assessment of Development of a Transboundary Small Lake: Calibato Lake, San Pablo City and Rizal, Laguna, Philippines. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 13 (2): 55-67, 2016.

Commencing on the scarcity of development studies on lakes (as the field is dominated by limnology and aquaculture studies) and small-lake studies (as the field is heavily concentrated on big-lake studies), this study assesses the underdevelopment of Calibato Lake, a small transboundary lake. The article reveals the lack of development initiatives in the lake as well as definitive time table from its administrative agencies on when they will be carried out. It argues that the LLDA, the City Government of San Pablo and the Local Government of Rizal must now take action to instigate and bring development in the lake. Particularly, by initiating the crafting of a zoning-development plan which is crucial for managing the water resource, regulating aquaculture, and facilitating subsequent actions; by promoting ecotourism which is essential in extending work opportunities and community development; and by protecting the many natural springs and their watershed which is critical in the preservation of the lake and its environment.

Link to the article: http://content.iospress.com/articles/asian-journal-of-water-environment-and-pollution/ajw160017
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Paulo Maria N. Pagkatipunan
Department of Ophtalmology and Visual Sciences
College of Medicine
UP Manila

Development of a Patient Satisfaction Tool for Tertiary Hospital in the Philippines: The Filipino Patient-Based Approach. Acta Medica Philippina, 49 (4): 49-61, 2015.

Catchy title of research: Patient satisfaction tool for Philippine Hospitals

It is very difficult to assess if a patient is satisfied with the hospital they have just been admitted in. All the questionnaires that have been given to patients regarding their satisfaction with the hospitals are either coming from abroad or just made up by the hospital without asking the patients if the content of the questionnaire is what matters to them.
The aim of the research is to develop a questionnaire to determine if Filipino patients are satisfied with the hospitals they have been admitted in.
To do this, the author did a qualitative research on two government hospitals to know what aspects of the hospital matters to them.  And it was found that there were eight areas where the Filipino patients are interested in when they are admitted in the hospital. These are the admission process, room where they stayed, nurses, doctors, the laboratory, radiology, pharmacy and the discharge process. Knowing these areas, the author made this into a questionnaire with the areas serving as categories and where the details of each category, taken from the qualitative survey, being made into questions of satisfaction from very satisfied to very dissatisfied.
This questionnaire was then given to 785 patients in five government hospitals chosen each from northern Luzon, southern Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region. It was found that the questionnaire was easily understood by patients and could be answered in 30 minutes. This questionnaire now is recommended to be used in all hospitals in the Philippines.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Virginia R. Ocampo and Barbara L. Caoili
Crop Protection Cluster
College of Agriculture
UP Los Baños

Identification of Potential Entomopathogenic Fungi of Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida (Tetranychidae: Acarina) using its-5.8s rDNA Region as Molecular Marker. Agrivita Journal of Agriculture Science, 38 (2): 186-192, 2016.

Catchy title of research: Molecular marker-aided identification of entomopathogenic fungi of the red spider mite,Tetranychus kanzawai 

We have recently reported the potential of entomopathogenic fungi as a management option for arthropods, such as red spider mites. The accurate identification of these entomopathogenic fungi are of primary importance for their development as biological control agents. The high variation within fungi species made taxonomic identification procedures more complex, thus molecular identification techniques are needed in addition to traditional morphological characteristics currently used as primary methods to classify fungi species. The objective of this research was to identify the species of the most pathogenic fungi to Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida using the internal transcribed spacer of 5.8s rDNA (ITS-5.8s rDNA) sequence of these fungal isolates were amplified using two sets of universal primers for ITS. Results revealed that that these isolates had a higher of similarity to Metarhizium anisopliae than Metarhizium flavoviride.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Rico C. Ancog, Carmelita M. Rebancos and Zenaida M. Sumalde*
School of Environmental Science and Management
*College of Economics and Management
UP Los Baños

Levels and Determinants of Vulnerability of two Indigenous Communities in the Philippines: Implications from using Mixed-Methods Approach. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 8 (2): 154 – 174, 2016.

Catchy title of research: Climate change vulnerability scores of two Alangan Mangyan communities differ across several assessment methods

This paper determines and compares the vulnerability of two Alangan Mangyan communities in Baco, Oriental Mindoro using a mixed-methods approach. Understanding how negative impacts of climate change could be effectively reduced can be better informed by the identification of the appropriate vulnerability assessment approach applicable to the local and cultural contexts. Critical in the case of indigenous communities is the analyses of determinants of vulnerability by and with themselves. Vulnerability indices were computed based on a survey of 169 households via the balanced-weighted (composite index) and unbalanced weighted approaches (principal component analysis). Computed scores yielded different levels of vulnerability even among households of comparable socio-economic characteristics. The developed indices confirm that the frequency of typhoons, level of education, literacy rate, and monthly income were found to have a direct effect on the Alangan Mangyan communities’ vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The study has successfully tested various methodological frameworks in implementing vulnerability assessment applicable in the context of indigenous communities in the Philippines. Results highlighted the need to implement simultaneously several vulnerability assessment approaches to allow the comparison of results.  As vulnerability is conceptualized in different ways and determined by a wide range of factors, the use of mixed-method approach provides a better basis for planning climate change adaptation. This is particularly necessary for indigenous communities that require more effective, careful and long-term planning.

Link to the article: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/IJCCSM-09-2014-0100
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 0.426

Rico C. Ancog, Leonardo M. Florece and Ozzy Boy Nicopior
School of Environmental Science and Management
UP Los Baños

Fire Occurrence and Fire Mitigation Strategies in a Grassland Reforestation Area in the Philippines. Forest Policy and Economics, 64: 35–45, March 2016.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389934116300028
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.856

Marvin A. Albao
Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños

Robust Large Gap Two-Dimensional Topological Insulators in Hydrogenated III–V Buckled Honeycombs. Nano Letters, 15 (10): 6568–6574, 2015.

Catchy title of research: Realization of 2D Topological Insulators in Hydrogenated III-V Buckled Honeycombs

The urgency to build low-power consuming devices is made apparent with the proliferation of electronic devices such as smartphones and other tech gadgets. In the future, novel materials such as topological insulators promise to be widely-used in spintronics and quantum computer applications. The secret to making these materials more stable is in protecting the edge states against backscattering. In this first-principles study, we have considered several pairings of group III (B, Al, Ga, In, and Tl) and group (V N, P, As, Sb, and Bi) elements in a buckled honeycomb structures, forming thin films. Furthermore, one or two sides of the film can be hydrogenated, thus simulating the effect of the substrate.For the unhydrogenated case, this procedure yielded a total of six nontrivial compounds (GaBi, InBi, TlBi, TlAs, TlSb, and TlN) while yielding only four (GaBi, InBi, TlBi, and TlSb) for the hydrogenated case. Of the class III-V films studied, the hydrogenated TlBi film is found to be potentially suitable for room temperature applications, having  a large band gap of 855 meV. We also tested the stability of TlBi against bonding effects of the substrate by increasing the hydrogen coverage and found that the large bandgap feature as well as its non-trivial nature are both preserved.

Link to the article: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b02293
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 13.592

Rosemary M. Gutierrez
Department of Biology
College of Science
UP Baguio

Bacterial and Eukaryal Diversity in Soils Forming from Acid Mine Drainage Precipitates under Reclaimed Vegetation and Biological Crusts. Applied Soil Ecology, 105: 57–66, September 2016.

Catchy title of research: Bacterial and Eukaryotic Diversity from an Acid Mine Drainage AMD) Site in Pennsylvania, USA

In Pennsylvania and other parts of Appalachia, USA, more than 300,000 ha of minelands were abandoned before the passage of the Surface Mining Control, and Reclamation Act in 1977 remain in inadequate reclamation status. Areas affected by overland flow from abandoned mine discharges can be more severely affected, such as the 50-year-old barrens in Clearfield Co., Pennsylvania. There, biological soil crusts (BSCs) form on wet surfaces, where C and N contents are 1% and 0.1%, respectively. BSC are communities of phototrophs (green algae, mosses, lichens) growing in association with free-living N₂ fixers. Incorporation of BSCs as a “reclamation amendment” with lime, compost, and a first-year oats nurse crop supported rapid establishment of native successional plants within two years.  We assessed the bacterial and eukaryal diversity from these AMD drainage precipitates six years after reclamation and we found that diversity was greater in reclaimed than in control soils with low pH (2.5). Results showed that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacteria in reclaimed and control soils, respectively. Moreover, Basidiomycota and Bryophyta were dominant eukarya in reclaimed and control soils, respectively. Vegetative reclamation of acid mine drainage precipitates resulted in increased microbial diversity, despite the low pH of these incipient soils derived from secondary Fe minerals. However, six years after the one-time incorporation of lime and compost and establishment of vascular vegetation, bacterial richness had not reached levels comparable to those observed in related environments such as acid sulfate soils and these results might suggest the need for additional intervention. 

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092913931630083X
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 2.644

Julius Fergy T. Rabago
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
College of Science
UP Baguio

On k-Fibonacci Numbers with Applications to Continued Fractions. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 693 (1): 012005, 7 pages,7 March 2016.

A well-known result in the theory of distribution states that given the uniform distribution of the reals on the unit interval, the Gauss-Kuzmin distribution gives the probability πk:= Pr(an= k) of an integer k appearing in any given place anof the expansion x = [0; a₁, a₂, …]by   This work provides a generalizationof this result. That is, it is shown that thefrequency of the pattern k, k, …, k (a string of m-digits of k) in the continued fraction expansion of a real number xon the unit interval (0,1) can be computed by the formula, where  denotes the m-thk-Fibonacci number. The result is established through the Gauss map and Gauss measure together with the concept of Ergodic theory.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available

Kim Katrina P. Rivera
Environmental Engineering Graduate Program
College of Engineering
UP Diliman

Effects of Hydrothermal Temperature and Time on Uncalcined TiO2 Synthesis for Reactive Red 120 Photocatalytic Degradation. Surface and Coatings Technology, 271: 192–200, 15 June 2015.

In this work, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanocrystals were synthesized via the hydrothermal method by uncalcined route. As-synthesized TiO₂ properties such as crystallite size, morphology, specific surface area and energy band-gap were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET and UV-DRs, respectively. The effects of the preparation parameters including aging temperature and time of the hydrothermal process on the decolorization ability of reactive red 120 dye (RR120) by photocatalysis under UV-A light were investigated. Central composite design (CCD) was used in order to determine the influence of the synthesis variables on the optimal condition and main and interaction effects using crystallite size, energy band-gap, percent RR120 removal and first-order observed reaction rate constant (k_obs) as responses. The XRD patterns revealed that the synthesized samples only exhibit the anatase crystallite phase of TiO₂. Moreover, the crystallite sizes calculated from the XRD main peak of all TiO₂ samples were specified as nanocrystals. The energy band-gap of TiO₂ was determined by Kubelka–Munk theory to be about 2.90 eV, which appeared lower than those of other researches for anatase TiO₂ (3.20 eV). The experimental results show that the effect of aging temperature and time were insignificant on crystallite size and energy band-gap. However, increasing aging temperatures and times resulted in increasing crystallite size and decreasing energy band-gap. In the photocatalytic process, RR120 was mainly degraded by photocatalytic process more than adsorption and photolysis processes. Specially, the independent variable of aging time only has a significant effect on percent RR120 removal and k_obs. Aging temperature and time were significant in terms of the square and interaction of their parameter effects for RR120 decolorization ability. The optimal synthesis condition was obtained at about 147 °C and 13 h of aging temperature and time, respectively for both percent RR120 removal and k_obs results.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0257897214011852
Impact Factor: (2014/2015) 1.998

Paul Adrian V. Pinlac*, Eleonor C. Castillo**, Jonathan P. Guevarra**, Christopher Allu S. Sy, Arvin A. Maceda and Nina G. Gloriani***
*Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
**Department of Health Promotion and Education
***Department of Medical Microbiology
College of Public Health
UP Manila

The Status of Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control in the Philippines: A Systematic Review. Acta Medica Philippina, 49 (3): 19-26, 2015.

Juan is Filipino.  Juan has been proactive in leading diverse public health enterprise to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)—heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes, among others—over the last 25 years. The researchers of this paper intend to know the present state of NCDs in Juan’s country, the Philippines.  In order to summarize in terms of morbidity and mortality indicators, their common risk factors, as well as the existing ventures to address them in the past quarter of the century, available health-related documents and existing literature have been reviewed. Consultations have been made with the local health agencies (e.g., Department of Health) and other involved government institutions, and descriptive statistical analyses data on NCD health outcomes were performed. Based on the review, it appears that Juan’s interventions are slowly paying off: both tobacco use and hypertension have become less prevalent over the last half decade.  Overall and premature mortality from NCDs, nonetheless, generally remain high, together with the prevalence of other modifiable risk factors. What do we think is there for Juan to do to halt the rise of NCDs in his country?  It is necessary for him to accelerate current efforts to sustain his gains and attain NCD targets.  He needs to edify health system interventions and promote accountability of various sectors in addressing NCDs and the factors that contribute to their development.  Finally, Juan has to work out a multisectoral action plan that would engage both the government and socio-civic society on NCD prevention and control.

Link to the article: 
Impact Factor: Not yet available