Ateneo de Manila University

Board directors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other identities (LGBTQ+) are now more visible at the corporate apex, as the attainment of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the upper echelons is a goal for many organizations, researchers, and policymakers worldwide. The visibility of LGBTQ+ directors implies the shift toward truly diverse boards that demonstrate commitment to the provision of equal career opportunities and empowerment for all types of individuals. However, we still lack knowledge regarding the relationship between LGBTQ+ board representation and firm outcomes. Drawing on upper echelons and signaling theories, we examine a sample of Fortune 500 companies to identify how LGBTQ+ directors influence their firm values. Our OLS regressions on an unbalanced panel dataset of 441 firms in 2021-2022 reveal that the visibility of LGBTQ+ directors is positively associated with enterprise value, and this relationship is mediated by environmental, social, and governance performance which can be attributed to corporate social performance. Our research contributes to the literature by showing how the visibility of LGBTQ+ status in the boardroom can matter on firms.

Analyzing the spatiotemporal dimension of the economic impacts of disasters is critical for providing timely and proportionate support. However, traditional economic impact measures often lack spatiotemporal details. Hence, we estimated the daily electricity consumption (EC) loss using high-frequency EC data and analyzed temporal dimensions of the immediate impacts of Taal Volcano’s eruption on January 12, 2020. Subsequently, we computed the nighttime light (NTL) change using high-resolution NTL data to analyze the spatial distribution of these impacts. The temporal analysis revealed two EC loss peaks. The first peak coincided with the power outage and decreased energy demand, followed by a brief recovery after power restoration. The second peak emerged upon the influx of the affected population, evacuees, earthquake occurrences, and road closures. Major assistance distribution spurred recovery towards the end of the analysis period. The spatial analysis showed significant NTL reductions where ashfall intersected built-up areas. The municipalities with the worst NTL reduction included Talisay, Laurel, Santa Teresita, Agoncillo, Lemery, San Nicolas, Taal, and Balete. This study demonstrates an alternative method that uses high-frequency EC to reveal daily temporal fluctuations of immediate non-agricultural economic impacts and map out the areas worst affected by a volcanic eruption.

The problem of finding square roots of p-adic integers in $\mathbb{Z}_p$, $p\neq 2$, has been a classic application of Hensel's lemma. A recent development on this problem is the application and analysis of convergence of numerical methods in approximating p-adic numbers. For a p-adic number a, Zerzaihi, Kecies, and Knapp (2010) introduced a fixed-point method to find the square root of a in $\mathbb{Q}_p$. Zerzaihi and Kecies (2011) later extended this problem to finding the cube root of a using the secant method. In this paper, we compute for the square roots and cube roots of p-adic numbers in $\mathbb{Q}_p$, using the Newton-Raphson method. We present findings that confirm recent results on the square roots of p-adic numbers, and highlight the advantages of this method over the fixed point and secant methods. We also establish sufficient conditions for the convergence of this method, and determine the speed of its convergence. Finally, we detemine how many iterations are needed to obtain a specified number of correct digits in the approximate.

Background Reducing inequities in hypertension control among those affected in low‐ and middle‐income countries requires person‐centred health system responses based on a contextualised understanding of the choices and care pathways taken by those who rely on the services provided, particularly those from poor and marginalised communities. We examine patterns of care seeking and pathways followed by individuals with hypertension from low‐income households in the Philippines and Malaysia. This study aims to fill a significant gap in the literature by analysing the stages at which individuals make decisions that may affect the successful control of their blood pressure. Methods This study presents cross‐sectional survey data collected as part of the Responsive and Equitable Health Systems‐Partnership on Non‐Communicable Diseases (RESPOND) project, a longitudinal observational study in low‐income communities. The study participants were 1191 randomly selected adults aged 35–70 years with a self‐reported history of hypertension or identified as hypertensive through blood pressure screening. Results While most low‐income individuals with hypertension in both countries were diagnosed and receiving medication, Malaysians demonstrated higher self‐reported medication adherence. Urban areas in the Philippines showed better hypertension management outcomes compared to rural areas. The study also provides insights into the care seeking pathways followed by low‐income adults diagnosed with hypertension. Nearly half of these individuals in Malaysia and a third in the Philippines were following pathways where they had never changed or stopped treatment without professional advice, and where they were using and adhering to their prescribed medication. Following such pathways was strongly associated with a greater likelihood blood pressure control in the Philippines, but less so in Malayisa. Conclusions These findings highlight the need for a contextualised understanding of care seeking choices and the importance of person‐centred solutions. They offer a typology of hypertension care seeking pathways and a foundation for similar research in other settings.

In resource-limited areas, where accurate weight-for-height Z-scores are hard to obtain, Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) is a simple tool to identify wasted children. MUAC alone, however, may miss identification of many wasted children, leading to untimely intervention and potentially death. Our study aimed to identify the best-performing case definition to detect wasting by Weight-for-Height z-scores (WHZ) in Filipino children aged 6–59 months. We analyzed the 2018–2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey to assess the diagnostic performance of MUAC cutoffs and a case definition combining MUAC and weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) in identifying moderate and severe wasting compared to the WHZ criterion. The optimal cutoff and case definition was identified as having the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Our findings showed that the current MUAC cutoffs poorly identify severe (sensitivity: 13%; specificity: 99%; AUROC: 0.558) and moderate (sensitivity: 22%; specificity: 96%; AUROC: 0.586) wasting (N = 30,522) in Filipino children. Instead, the optimal MUAC cutoff for severe and moderate wasting were <13.6cm (sensitivity: 62%; specificity: 76%; AUROC: 0.690) and 14.0cm (sensitivity: 80%; specificity: 67%; AUROC: 0.737). There was no effect of sex on MUAC cutoffs, but cutoffs increased with age. We found that the combination of WAZ < -2 or MUAC ≤ 11.7cm (Sensitivity: 80%; Specificity: 80%; AUROC: 0.800) for severe wasting and WAZ < -2 or MUAC ≤ 12.7cm (Sensitivity: 84%; Specificity: 78%; AUROC: 0.810) for moderate wasting significantly improved sensitivity for acceptable decreases in specificity. In summary, implementing alternative case definitions solely based on expanding MUAC insufficiently improves diagnostic accuracy for identifying wasted children by WHZ criteria. Combining WAZ with MUAC could increase the number of eligible children identified and treated by the Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition. Further studies are advised to understand the practicality and cost-effectiveness of using the proposed alternative case definitions in the Philippines.

Epilepsy, as a common brain disease, causes great pain and stress to patients around the world. At present, the main treatment methods are drug, surgical, and electrical stimulation therapies. Electrical stimulation has recently emerged as an alternative treatment for reducing symptomatic seizures. This study proposes a novel closed-loop epilepsy detection system and stimulation control chip. A time-domain detection algorithm based on amplitude, slope, line length, and signal energy characteristics is introduced. A new threshold calculation method is proposed; that is, the threshold is updated by means of the mean and standard deviation of four consecutive eigenvalues through parameter combination. Once a seizure is detected, the system begins to control the stimulation of a two-phase pulse current with an amplitude and frequency of 34 μA and 200 Hz, respectively. The system is physically designed on the basis of the UMC 55 nm process and verified by a field programmable gate array verification board. This research is conducted through innovative algorithms to reduce power consumption and the area of the circuit. It can maintain a high accuracy of more than 90% and perform seizure detection every 64 ms. It is expected to provide a new treatment for patients with epilepsy.

Previous research highlights the vital role of early childhood teachers in promoting movement and physical activity (MOPA) in early childhood programmes. Using bioecological theory, this study examined the MOPA practices and contexts of 25 teachers from both public and private early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres in the Philippines. Through in-depth semistructured interviews, we inquired about the daily experiences on MOPA of the ECEC teachers, and their answers from the interviews were subjected to reflexive thematic analysis, which led to the identification of three main themes. Based on these themes, ECEC teachers’ practices are typically characterized by the actors with corresponding roles, the schedule and spaces for MOPA, and various MOPA strategies that they employ in their learning programmes. Within these practices, ECEC teachers also shared opportunities and challenges with the MOPA that reflected their social-cultural, socioeconomic, environmental, organizational and temporal contexts. Future research is recommended to design MOPAs in ECEC settings that consider the unique contexts of ECEC teachers and the children under their care.

The realization of a sustainable energy transition in Southeast Asia will require the overcoming of the current high reliance on fossil fuels in the energy mix and the steady and rapid growth in energy demand in the region. To achieve an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable energy transition in the region, it is vital to utilize all available renewable energy sources to the greatest extent possible. It is therefore essential to gain an understanding of how citizens in each country perceive the available renewables. However, the majority of existing literature in this region has been constrained by a narrow focus on a comparison between fossil and renewable energy. Furthermore, while previous research has predominantly concentrated on single-country analyses, there are significant implications that could be disseminated across ASEAN countries. In light of the aforementioned limitations of existing literature, this paper aims to make a contribution by undertaking a comparative analysis of public preferences for renewable energy sources in eight major urban areas in seven Southeast Asian countries. The findings of this study indicate that, while climate change (or global warming) is perceived as a significant issue, it is often regarded as a secondary concern compared to other environmental issues. This is despite the fact that many of these issues are closely interlinked with and would be exacerbated by climate change. Furthermore, the findings suggest that solar energy is the most preferred renewable source across all urban areas surveyed. In contrast, bioenergy (or biomass) is generally the least preferred source of energy in all cities. There is considerable variation in perceptions of wind, hydro, and geothermal energy, with a high degree of variability between and within countries. These similarities and differences in preferences for renewable energy sources appear to be associated with varying levels of knowledge or familiarity with each source, which is consistent with differing willingness to pay for each source. These findings highlight the necessity for policies that address this apparent lack of understanding of how the transition to a sustainable energy system and each renewable energy technology can help mitigate the impact of environmental problems highlighted in each society.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an inflammatory cytokine that serves as an important prognostic biomarker for chronic diseases such as cancer and coronavirus disease. Label-free sensors that can conveniently detect IL-6 are essential for health monitoring purposes. Here, we present an aptamer-modified liquid-gated graphene field effect transistor (GFET) biosensor fabricated using inkjet printing techniques that can detect IL-6 levels. In this work, graphene ink suitable for inkjet printing was synthesized and formulated using the ultrasonic liquid exfoliation method. Exfoliated graphene was redispersed into a cyclohexanone/terpineol solvent system and optimized to achieve jettable ink with a Z-number of 13.7. The formulated graphene ink was then used to fabricate the GFET device, which in turn was decorated with IL-6 aptamer using organic linkers. The sensor response of the GFET was measured using the shift in the transistor current-voltage (I-V) transfer curves upon specific binding of the IL-6 with the aptameric GFET. The experimental results showed that the device can sensitively and selectively detect IL-6 in a 1xPBS background with a limit of detection of 372 pM. The fabricated GFET is on a flexible substrate that may be suitably incorporated into a face mask covering that could potentially sample IL-6 from collected saliva.

Thermographic imaging has gained significant use in recent years, particularly during the epidemic, including its application in architecture for damage detection on archaeological monuments through temperature analysis. The non-invasive nature of thermographic imaging, along with its ability to visualize temperature levels, allows for problem identification while preserving the building’s structure. The integration of artificial intelligence further enhances its potential applications. This study aims to propose an automated inspection system using a convolutional neural network (CNN) for analyzing abnormal floor blocks and its materials. A team of academicians with more than seven years of expertise in monument preservation gathered the imaging data for this investigation. They were in charge of collecting thermal imaging photos of floors at significant monuments and aiding in the identification of overheating data and floor tile types. This study will propose three types of CNN models for recognition: one for identifying floors in visible images, one for detecting abnormal temperatures in thermal images, and one for recognizing materials in visible images. The block with abnormal temperature radiations can be determined from the floor by analyzing elevated temperatures. Subsequently, analyzing materials in abnormal block can efficiently identify problematic materials. The identification accuracy rate of this study is as high as 99.16%. Compared to the efficiency of professionals identifying 100 images, this research increases efficiency by approximately 99.92%, which is an amazing improvement. These functions increase the practicality of restoration efforts, improve restoration quality and efficiency, and contribute to academic research on ancient monument preservation.

The intensity of research and development (R&D) that is necessary to accelerate innovation leading to economic growth is nuanced by industry needs, the readiness of end-users and the transition from R&D to commercialization. In the Philippines, the public R&D sphere is affected by a myriad of wicked problems: low budgets, complex procurement rules, missing markets that hamper technology transfer, lack of human resource complement and lack of clear and coherent vision on how to harness innovation to improve productivity. This article focuses on institutional issues that affect R&D growth in the Philippines. Using data from official budget sources and key informants from selected government agencies, we reviewed the institutional setup for the development and implementation of R&D programmes and projects (PAPs). We also identified the factors that either facilitate or hinder R&D growth and proposed policy recommendations and legislative action. We recommend that there should be an articulated vision of what type of innovation to focus on, complemented by policies to reform or relax bottlenecks regarding budgetary and procurement processes. To promote an R&D culture, the government may prioritize data sharing and provide a clear rationale on the roles, scope and limitations of existing and proposed research centres.

Pneumothorax, a life-threatening condition characterized by air accumulation in the pleural cavity, requires early and accurate detection for optimal patient outcomes. Chest X-ray radiographs are a common diagnostic tool due to their speed and affordability. However, detecting pneumothorax can be challenging for radiologists because the sole visual indicator is often a thin displaced pleural line. This research explores deep learning techniques to automate and improve the detection and segmentation of pneumothorax from chest X-ray radiographs. We propose a novel architecture that combines the advantages of fully convolutional neural networks (FCNNs) and Vision Transformers (ViTs) while using only convolutional modules to avoid the quadratic complexity of ViT’s self-attention mechanism. This architecture utilizes a patch-based encoder-decoder structure with skip connections to effectively combine high-level and low-level features. Compared to prior research and baseline FCNNs, our model demonstrates significantly higher accuracy in detection and segmentation while maintaining computational efficiency. This is evident on two datasets: (1) the SIIM-ACR Pneumothorax Segmentation dataset and (2) a novel dataset we curated from The Medical City, a private hospital in the Philippines. Ablation studies further reveal that using a mixed Tversky and Focal loss function significantly improves performance compared to using solely the Tversky loss. Our findings suggest our model has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in pneumothorax detection, potentially aiding radiologists in clinical settings.

Amidst the aftermath of the controversial war on drugs during Duterte's presidency in the Philippines, this study seeks to understand characteristics of Filipino punitiveness. The institutionalization of state violence, historical context of authoritarian rule, and societal acceptance of extreme measures prompt an examination of public attitudes toward crime, punishment, and violence in the Philippines. This study used survey data on Filipino respondents and identified five distinct punitiveness clusters using latent class analysis. This study employed Kruskal-Wallis (KW) tests and chi-squared tests to explore factors associated with differences in cluster characteristics. The analysis found that the extremely punitive group exhibited significantly higher levels of satisfaction with President Marcos Jr., a strong preference for authoritarian detachment, and lower trust in institutions compared to the other clusters. They support harsher penal policies including informal or extralegal methods such as torture, social cleansing, and use of violence to attain social progress. This study confirms the convergence of punitiveness and penal populism, where highly punitive citizens endorse strong leaders and extralegal measures that result in atrocities.

In line with recommendations of Article 11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the Philippines has implemented graphic health warnings (GHWs) on cigarette packs. While the Graphic Health Warnings Law was passed in 2014, it was only implemented in 2016. Using a commercial determinants of health framework, this study aims to contribute evidence on Filipinos’ perceptions of GHWs and the potential plain packaging of tobacco products in the Philippines. We used a dataset based on open-ended questions in online and nationwide household surveys from 2021. Data collectors showed mock-up sets of cigarette packs based on the Philippines’ law on GHWs and Thailand’s and Singapore’s plain packaging to respondents to gather their comments on each pack’s features and its GHW. We conducted thematic analysis to extract themes in respondents’ perceptions. We gathered 3,723 responses from online and household surveys. Most respondents’ commented on the Philippine packs' ineffectiveness and lauded GHWs from Singapore and Thailand for their characteristics and the information in the warnings, remarking that valuable features of Singapore and Thailand's plain packs for making current cigarette packaging more effective were larger GHWs, less brand visibility, and quitline availability. The study supports recent literature assessing local GHWs. Current GHWs are seen as ineffective, highlighting need for policy reform. Policymakers should consider prohibiting single-stick cigarette sales, adopting plain packaging with larger GHWs to decrease brand visibility, and increasing the visibility and accessibility of quitlines to motivate smokers to quit and discourage Filipinos from smoking.

Religious mass gatherings are well explored in psychology, however, much research focuses on Hindu and Islamic traditions. The present study investigated how participation in the Traslación of the Black Nazarene, a religious mass gathering, mediated the relationship between religious identity and well-being among Catholic devotees in the Philippines. First, we predicted that religious identity influences the participation of devotees in the Traslación—a religious mass gathering in the Philippines in honor of the Black Nazarene. Second, we predicted that by attending the Traslación, participants' collective effervescence and hope would increase. A survey questionnaire was administered among devotees who participated in the Traslación (N = 331). Results indicate that religious identity was associated with participation in the religious mass gathering, which in turn increased the participants' collective effervescence and hope. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of religious identity in predicting indicators of well-being outcomes via religious mass gatherings. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.