Maria Margarita M. Lota
Department of Medical Microbiology
College of Public Health
UP Manila
A Retrospective Study on Extended Beta-Lactamase Bacteria in the Philippines from 1999-2013. Acta Medica Philippina, 48 (1): 28-34, 2014.
Antibiotics have been the mainstay of treatment for many bacterial infections. And the widespread use caused the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Many published studies showed the gravity of this problem both in the hospital an community setting. An important aspect of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) greatly affecting the medical community are the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms (ESBL). The study determined the prevalence, antibiogram, and genotypic characteristics of the different isolates of ESBL in the Philippines. Available literature on ESBL in the Philippines from PUBMED and Herdin was collected, and additional microbiological data were gathered from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Ten studies and three annual ARSP reports of the 22 sentinel sites were included. The result shows an increasing prevalence of ESBL from 1999-2013. The proportion of ESBL K. pneumoniae and E. coli ranged from 10 – 43.24% and 4 – 20.9%, respectively. There was varying antimicrobial activity against many antibiotics that contribute to the problem. Likewise, there was limited data on the genotypic characteristics of ESBL organisms. Therefore, the continued rise in ESBL resistance needs immediate action. Information on ESBLs is limited, particularly in the country. More studies need to be conducted to expand our knowledge of ESBLs.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Alfred Pawlik
Archaeological Studies Program
UP Diliman
“Detecting Traits of Modern Behavior through Microwear Analysis: A Case Study from the Philippine Terminal Pleistocene” in Emergence and Diversity of Modern Human Behavior in Paleolithic Asia. Yousuke Kaifu, Masami Izuho, Ted Goebel, Hiroyuki Sato and Akira Ono (editors). Texas, USA: Texas A&M University Press, 2015.
Armand Salvador B. Mijares
Archaeological Studies Program
UP Diliman
“Human Emergence and Adaptation to an Island Environment in the Philippine Paleolithic” in Emergence and Diversity of Modern Human Behavior in Paleolithic Asia. Yousuke Kaifu, Masami Izuho, Ted Goebel, Hiroyuki Sato and Akira Ono (editors). Texas, USA: Texas A&M University Press, 2015.
Annalee S. Hadsall, Mary Ann O. Cajano, Ivy Amor F. Lambio and Michelle Alejado
Museum of Natural History
UP Los Baños
A New Distribution Record of Hoya espaldoniana Kloppenburg, Siar and Cajano (Section Acanthostemma: Apocynaceae). Asia Life Sciences, 24 (2): 469-476, 2015.
The genus Hoya is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia, China, New Guinea, Australia and some Pacific Islands. The highest diversity of this genus has been recorded in the Philippines and New Guinea. To date, there are 115 species of 
Hoya in the Philippines, of which 18 are endemic. Hoya espaldoniana Kloppenburg, Siar and Cajano is an epiphytic vine with milky white latex belonging to family Apocynaceae, locally known as kalachuchi family. The pendulous inflorescence consists of 10-28 flowers with purplish red corolla and red corona. H. espaldoniana first reported from Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, is also found growing in Burdeos, Polillo Island, Quezon Province, Philippines, the latter locality being a new distribution record. In Puerto Galera, Occidental Mindoro, the species was growing in a limestone area along the beach. Wild population of the species was spotted trailing on trunks of banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa) growing along the riverbanks at Sitio Aluyon, Burdeos, Polillo Island, Quezon Province. At present, H. espaldoniana occurs only in two distantly located islands, Oriental Mindoro and Polillo Island, Quezon. In as much as Puerto Galera is an ecotourism area and Polillo is part of a protected natural park, it is recommended that the conservation must be done through habitat protection. The occurrence of H. espaldoniana in Polillo Island is an extension of its geographical distribution to the eastern flank of the **Philippines. The continued existence of this species will greatly depend on the protection of its natural habitat.
Link to the article: http://journals.uplb.edu.ph/index.php/ALS
Impact Factor: 0.18
Loinda R. Baldrias*, Susan A. Sedano** and Asuncion K. Raymundo***
*Department of Veterinary Paraclinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
**National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH)
College of Veterinary Medicine
***Institute of Biological Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Los Baños
Isolation and Detection of Campylobacter jejuni from Ceca of Dressed Chickens of Commercial and Smallhold Raisers by Polymerase Chain Reaction. Philippine Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 51 (2): 97-106, 2014.
Campylobacter jejuni is recognized as leading causative agent in most foodborne illnesses aside from Salmonella and Shigella. Two methods of recovery were compared for its isolation from ceca of dressed chickens of commercial and smallhold raisers. Cecal contents were directly streaked on three selective media for Campylobacter for the direct method while cecal contents were pre-enriched in nutrient broth followed by culture on solid selective media in the enrichment protocol. Putative strains of C. jejuni isolated were detected via PCR. Campylobacter are fastidious organisms and require little oxygen for growth. Limited oxygen conditions were provided in both methods for the cultivation of Campylobacter. The direct method provided higher recovery of C. jejuni from the cecal samples collected from commercial and small hold raisers compared to enrichment method. This result suggests cecal colonization of C. jejuni of chickens from our local supply. Thus, it is important to properly handle poultry products to ensure food safety.
Link to the article: http://journals.uplb.edu.ph/index.php/PJVM/article/view/1261
Impact Factor: Not yet available
Herbert B. Domingo and Eric A. Galapon*
Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics
College of Arts and Sciences
UP Manila
*National Institute of Physics
College of Science
UP Diliman
Generalized Weyl Transform for Operator Ordering: Polynomial Functions in Phase Space. Journal of Mathematical Physics, 56: 022104, 13 pages, 2015.
Quantization remains to be the most available method for forming quantum mechanical operators corresponding to classical observables. When classical observables are represented by functions of position and momentum variables, an integral form of quantization shall be in the form of Weyl transform or generalized Weyl transform. These two differ only by a kernel of integration: unity for Weyl transform, and any real-valued function Θ(x) such that Θ(0) = 1 for generalized Weyl transform. We showed that the generalized Weyl transform results from the requirement of Hermiticity of quantum-mechanical observables and are essentially related to operator ordering employed. Different operator ordering methods yield different quantization or quantum-mechanical Hermitian operators. We found that Weyl transform and generalized Weyl transform are useful integral forms for relating different quantization methods with each other. For instance, Weyl ordered operators can be transformed into Born-Jordan ordered quantization by using a formula derived from the integral forms. The integral forms can also be used to derive the commutation and anticommutation relations for similarly ordered operators. The commutation and anticommutation relation of operators formed by an arbitrary ordering was treated in the paper but Weyl ordering, simplest symmetrization, and Born-Jordan ordering were considered as specific examples.
Link to the article: http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jmp/56/2/10.1063/1.4907561
Impact Factor: (2013/2014) 1.176
Arsenio M. Balisacan
School of Economics
UP Diliman
“The Growth-Poverty Nexus: Multidimensional Poverty in the Philippines” in Sustainable Economic Development: Resources, Environment, and Institutions. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ujjayant Chakravorty and Majah-Leah V. Ravago (editors). Oxford, UK: Academic Press, 2014.
Ramon L. Clarete
School of Economics
UP Diliman
“Philippine Rice Self-Sufficiency Program: Pitfalls and Remedies” in Sustainable Economic Development: Resources, Environment, and Institutions. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ujjayant Chakravorty and Majah-Leah V. Ravago (editors). Oxford, UK: Academic Press, 2014.
Emmanuel S. De Dios
School of Economics
UP Diliman
“Deviant Behavior: A Century of Philippine Industrialization” in Sustainable Economic Development: Resources, Environment, and Institutions. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ujjayant Chakravorty and Majah-Leah V. Ravago (editors). Oxford, UK: Academic Press, 2014.
Majah-Leah V. Ravago
School of Economics
UP Diliman
“Public Choice and the Generalized Resource Curse” in Sustainable Economic Development: Resources, Environment, and Institutions. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ujjayant Chakravorty and Majah-Leah V. Ravago (editors). Oxford, UK: Academic Press, 2014.
Majah-Leah V. Ravago and Arsenio M. Balisacan
School of Economics
UP Diliman
“The Principles and Practice of Sustainable Economic Development: Overview and Synthesis” in Sustainable Economic Development: Resources, Environment, and Institutions. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ujjayant Chakravorty and Majah-Leah V. Ravago (editors). Oxford, UK: Academic Press, 2014.
Zyra Ruth T. Brebante* and Jonathan Y. Cagas
*Department of Physical Education
Department of Sports Science
College of Human Kinetics
UP Diliman
Body Image, Body Mass Index and the Experience of Hiya in Physical Education among Filipino Female University Students. Asia Life Sciences, 24 (2): 647-659, 2015.
Catchy title of research: Body Image, Body mass index and Hiya in Physical Education.
Studies have shown that body image dissatisfaction has been found to be associated with either high or low body mass index (BMI) among Filipino women. Hiya, a very distinct 
Filipino characteristic that may be referred to, but not necessarily equivalent to shame, may be experienced by a person who has high body image dissatisfaction which may then become a barrier to physical activity participation. The relationships between body image, BMI, and hiya have not yet been widely explored. This present study examined the relationships between body image, BMI, and hiya in the context of physical education (PE). There were three hundred sixty-two female Filipino university students who answered a set of body image questionnaire and a specifically designed measure of hiya. BMI was computed from one-site measured height and weight. Results indicated that female students who had higher BMI evaluated their health/fitness and appearance negatively, had higher perception of fatness, and had more negative feelings towards their bodies. Results also showed significant relationships between body image and hiya in PE. Female students with high perceptions of their overall appearance and health/fitness experience less hiya in PE. Findings suggest that female students who have issues with their overall appearance and evaluate their health/fitness poorly are more likely to experience hiya in PE. Teachers should help these students to have more positive body image. Although not mentioned directly in the article, possible strategies include not using the mirror when teaching, helping students feel more in control of their bodies, and improve students’ perception of competence.
Link to the article:
Impact Factor: (2013/2014) 0.18
Jerico B. Bacani and Julius Fergy T. Rabago
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
College of Science
UP Baguio
On Linear Recursive Sequences with Coefficients in Arithmetic-Geometric Progressions. Applied Mathematical Sciences, 9 (49-52): 2595-2607, 2015.
Link to the article: http://arxiv.org/abs/1503.05301
Impact Factor: Not yet available
