University of the East

Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi is the intermediate host of S. japonicum, the causative species of schistosomiasis in the Philippines. Conventionally, risk areas are identified by procedures requiring highly skilled personnel and constant surveillance efforts. Recent developments in disease diagnostics explore the utilization of environmental DNA as targets for polymerase chain reactions in disease surveillance. In this study, a low-cost, specific, and efficient SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay to detect O. h. quadrasi DNA from water samples was developed, optimized, and validated. Primers were designed based on the A18 microsatellite region of O. h. quadrasi. The assay exhibited a detection limit of one copy number per microliter at 99.4% efficiency and R² = 0.999, which specifically amplified O. h. quadrasi DNA only. Validation of this assay in environmental water samples demonstrated 100% PPV and NPV values, suggesting its potential as a tool for identifying risk areas, pathogen-directed surveillance, policy making, and disease control.

During the anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste, the deliberate secession of substrate rapidly increases the microbial cell population, which can reach a maximum in 2–3 d. During short-term resting (STR), an increase in free NH3 due to an increase in pH is a key inhibitor of cell proliferation; therefore, cell growth would be further promoted if free NH3 was reduced. To explore adopting an STR technique to increase microbial cells in the AD of organic waste, we attempted to reduce free NH3 by controlling the pH in the reactors. Two semi-continuously treated reactors were fed with food waste at a loading rate of 3.0 g-VS/L/d for 40 days and then the feeding was stopped in both reactors until day 47. One of the reactors was maintained at pH 7.37 ± 0.03, whereas pH was not controlled in the other. During STR, the cell density in the pH-controlled condition reached a maximum of 7.48 × 1010 cells/mL, which was twice as high as that before STR, and 1.7-times higher than that in the non-pH-controlled condition. These results demonstrated that mitigating NH3 using pH can affect cell proliferation during STR.

This research revolutionizes phenolic compound extraction from grape pulp (Ahmar Bou-Amar variety). We optimized extraction methods to assess the efficiency and identify individual molecules. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to fine-tune 2 extraction methods: Conventional Solvent Extraction (CSE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) using Box-Behnken and central composite designs, respectively. Identification and quantification of the various phenolic classes in the pulp of the studied grape variety were carried out using HPLC–DAD, a first for this variety. This characterization revealed that the quantitative profile of individual and total phenolic compounds is closely linked to the extraction method. Results indicate that extracts obtained via MAE exhibit approximately 20% higher concentrations of individual flavonols (Quercetol 3-glucoside, Quercetol-hexoside, Isorhamnitol-hexoside), individual hydroxycinnamic acids (cis- and trans-Caftaric, cis- and trans-Coutaric, p-Coumaric), and flavan-3-ols (trans-Catechin-SH and Epicatechin-3-O-gallate) compared to CSE. Conversely, CSE proves more efficient in extracting molecules like Catechin, Epicatechin, cis-Catechine-SH, and Ferulic acid, resulting in reductions of 16%, 21%, 75%, and 57%, respectively. Notably, the molecules Epicatechin-SH, Epicatechin-O-3-gallate, and Epigallocatechin-SH remain unaffected by the extraction method. The results concerning antioxidant activity indicate that irrespective of the measurement method employed, extracts obtained via MAE display notably greater antioxidant efficacy compared to those obtained through CSE. These findings underscore the significant impact of the chosen extraction method on the composition and quality of phenolic extracts obtained from grape pulp.

Apis mellifera was used as a model species for ecotoxicological testing. In the present study, we tested the effects of acetone (0.1% in feed), a solvent commonly used to dissolve pesticides, on bees exposed at different developmental stages (larval and/or adult). Moreover, we explored the potential effect of in vitro larval rearing, a commonly used technique for accurately monitoring worker exposure at the larval stage, by combining acetone exposure and treatment conditions (in vitro larval rearing vs. in vivo larval rearing). We then analyzed the life‐history traits of the experimental bees using radio frequency identification technology over three sessions (May, June, and August) to assess the potential seasonal dependence of the solvent effects. Our results highlight the substantial influence of in vitro larval rearing on the life cycle of bees, with a 47.7% decrease in life span, a decrease of 0.9 days in the age at first exit, an increase of 57.3% in the loss rate at first exit, and a decrease of 40.6% in foraging tenure. We did not observe any effect of exposure to acetone at the larval stage on the capacities of bees reared in vitro. Conversely, acetone exposure at the adult stage reduced the bee life span by 21.8% to 60%, decreased the age at first exit by 1.12 to 4.34 days, and reduced the foraging tenure by 30% to 37.7%. Interestingly, we found a significant effect of season on acetone exposure, suggesting that interference with the life‐history traits of honey bees is dependent on season. These findings suggest improved integration of long‐term monitoring for assessing sublethal responses in bees following exposure to chemicals during both the larval and adult stages. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1–12. © 2024 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Snail control to complement mass drug administration is being promoted by the World Health Organization for schistosomiasis control. Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi, the snail intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum in the Philippines, has a very focal distribution; thus, scrutinizing baseline data and parameters affecting this distribution is very crucial. In this study in Gonzaga, Cagayan, Philippines, snail habitats were surveyed, and the various factors affecting the existence of the snails were determined. Malacological surveys and the mapping of sites of perpetual wetness in five endemic and five neighboring non-endemic barangays were conducted. Environmental and physicochemical factors were also examined. Maps of both snail and non-snail sites were generated. Of the fifty sites surveyed, O. h. quadrasi were found in twelve sites, and two sites yielded snails that were infected with S. japonicum cercariae. Factors such as silty loam soil, proximity to a snail site, water ammonia, and soil attributes (organic matter, iron, and pH) are all significantly associated with the presence of snails. In contrast, types of habitats, temperatures, and soil aggregation have no established association with the existence of snails. Mapping snail sites and determining factors favoring snail presence are vital to eliminating snails. These approaches will significantly maximize control impact and minimize wasted efforts and resources, especially in resource-limited schistosomiasis endemic areas.

The Chinese dome digester (CDD) is a low-cost and the most popular anaerobic digester that is used for the treatment of organic waste such as food waste and cow dung. However, the main challenge of CDD is scum formation due to inadequate mixing intensity. This study explores computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to characterize mixing in CDD and the effects of mixing frequency (0, 4, 6, and 8 times per day) on the performance of semicontinuous anaerobic digestion to break scum and enhance methane yield. The flow field simulation on a lab-scale CDD by Ansys Fluent (v.19.2), a finite volume solver, estimated that 45% of CDD working volume was occupied by dead zones which could nurture scum. The simulation results elicited the optimization of mixing frequency. Four CDDs were operated to investigate the optimum mixing frequency. The average scum thickness for the non-mixed digester was 2 ± 0.1 cm compared to 0.2 ± 0.1, 0.8 ± 0.1, and 1.3 ± 0.2 cm for the mixed digesters (4, 6, and 8 times per day, respectively). The average methane yields for 0, 4, 6, and 8 times per day were 206 ± 191, 602 ± 87, 555 ± 59, and 492 ± 109 mL g-VS⁻¹, respectively. Four times per day was the optimum mixing frequency and the energy required to break scum was 6.1 ± 0.3 Joules per mixing cycle. This study proves that by optimizing the mixing frequency in CDD, scum formation can be controlled without additional investment cost.

Elevation of mean air temperature related to climate change speeds up plant maturity, which influences mostly forage feed value. The objective of the study was to assess variation in hay quality harvested over 32 years at the same experimental site, and whether feed value is better predicted by combining agro‐climatic variables with chemical composition. From 1979 to 2010, the in vivo digestibility (OMd) and voluntary dry matter intake (VDMI) of 271 hays, harvested during the first vegetation cycle on permanent grasslands, were measured in sheep. Over 32 years, the mean air temperature between February and August increased significantly by 1.34°C. Cutting date was advanced by 6 days, but the average sum of temperature at cutting (ST) increased significantly by 13%. Crude protein (CP) content declined (−22%, p < .001), crude fibre content increased (+8%, p < .001), OMd decreased (−3%, p = .012) and VDMI increased (+9%, p = .011). Changes in the chemical composition and OMd were consistent with the increase in ST. Finally, the prediction of OMd from CP and crude fibre contents (R2 = .57, RMSE = 2.99) was slightly improved by the addition of ST and hay drying time (R2 = .60, RMSE = 2.83). Climate change may have a negative indirect effect on hay quality if an earlier cutting date does not compensate for its effect on the faster maturation of the plants. Moreover, agro‐climatic criteria could help to monitor and predict hay quality in relation to intra‐ and inter‐annual climatic changes.

Rumen microbiota is of paramount importance for ruminant digestion efficiency as the microbial fermentations supply the host animal with essential sources of energy and nitrogen. Early separation of newborns from the dam and distribution of artificial milk (Artificial Milking System or AMS) could impair rumen microbial colonization, which would not only affect rumen function but also have possible negative effects on hindgut homeostasis, and impact animal health and performance. In this study, we monitored microbial communities in the rumen and the feces of 16 lambs separated from their dams from 12 h of age and artificially fed with milk replacer and starter feed from d8, in absence or presence of a combination of the live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 and selected yeast metabolites. Microbial groups and targeted bacterial species were quantified by qPCR and microbial diversity and composition were assessed by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing in samples collected from birth to 2 months of age. The fibrolytic potential of the rumen microbiota was analyzed with a DNA microarray targeting genes coding for 8 glycoside hydrolase (GH) families. In Control lambs, poor establishment of fibrolytic communities was observed. Microbial composition shifted as the lambs aged. The live yeast supplement induced significant changes in relative abundances of a few bacterial OTUs across time in the rumen samples, among which some involved in crucial rumen function, and favored establishment of Trichostomatia and Neocallimastigaceae eukaryotic families. The supplemented lambs also harbored greater abundances in Fibrobacter succinogenes after weaning. Microarray data indicated that key cellulase and hemicellulase encoding-genes were present from early age in the rumen and that in the Supplemented lambs, a greater proportion of hemicellulase genes was present. Moreover, a higher proportion of GH genes from ciliate protozoa and fungi was found in the rumen of those animals. This yeast combination improved microbial colonization in the maturing rumen, with a potentially more specialized ecosystem towards efficient fiber degradation, which suggests a possible positive impact on lamb gut development and digestive efficiency.

Simple Summary For sustainable meat production, beef farmers must make the best use of grass and roughage while limiting the carbon footprint of their herds. The genetic improvement in feed efficiency and enteric methane production of replacement heifers is possible if the recorded phenotypes are available. Intuitively, the relationship between the two traits should be negative, i.e., favorable, since the energy lost with the methane is not available for heifer metabolism. The measurement of feed efficiency requires several weeks of feed intake recording. The enteric methane emission rate can also be recorded over several weeks. The two traits of 326 beef heifers from two experimental farms were measured simultaneously for 8 to 12 weeks. The correlations between roughage intake, daily gain, and methane were all positive. The enteric methane emission rate was positively related to body weight, daily gain, and dry matter intake. The relationship with feed efficiency was slightly positive, i.e., unfavorable. Therefore, the two traits should be recorded simultaneously to evidence low-emitting and efficient heifers. This study also showed that replacing the feed intake recording with the carbon dioxide emission rate appeared potentially beneficial for selecting these low-emitting and efficient heifers. Abstract Reducing enteric methane production and improving the feed efficiency of heifers on roughage diets are important selection objectives for sustainable beef production. The objective of the current study was to assess the relationship between different methane production and feed efficiency criteria of beef heifers fed ad libitum roughage diets. A total of 326 Charolais heifers aged 22 months were controlled in two farms and fed either a grass silage (n = 252) or a natural meadow hay (n = 74) diet. Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates (g/day) were measured with GreenFeed systems. The dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), CH4 and CO2 were measured over 8 to 12 weeks. Positive correlations were observed among body weight, DMI, ADG, CH4 and CO2. The residual feed intake (rwgDMI) was not related to CH4 or residual methane (rwiCH4). It was negatively correlated with methane yield (CH4/DMI): Rp = −0.87 and −0.83. Residual gain (rwiADG) and ADG/DMI were weakly and positively related to residual methane (rwiCH4): Rp = 0.21 on average. The ratio ADG/CO2 appeared to be a useful proxy of ADG/DMI (Rp = 0.64 and 0.97) and CH4/CO2 a proxy of methane yield (Rp = 0.24 and 0.33) for selecting low-emitting and efficient heifers.

The digital era has ushered the rise in the utilisation of alternative communication platforms in integrated marketing communications (IMC). The contemporary business environment necessitates employing high-yield communication platforms to help sustain and further an institution’s position in the industry. This paper aims to identify the most efficient platforms employed by the university, accounting the preference of the target audience and the platform’s actual reach through a gauge termed coverage index (CI). Results from net 303 valid responses, gathered via an online survey, show that the following in descending arrangement: relatives/friends, open house, social media, and university website are in the upper quartile (CI>67.78%). Further, variance analysis uncovered differences in the preference and reach ratings of certain platforms when respondents are classified according to demographic characteristics. Universities then can strategize their IMC applying high CI platforms. Additionally, the segmented approach to marketing can be incorporated depending on the prospective students’ profile.

In modern epoch of cyber warfare and their countermeasures, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are highly susceptible to cyber attacks due to their primary reliance over sink. WSNs perform routing and communication to deliver data from sources to sink. In this many-to-one communication paradigm, while some failure might be affordable at the many sources side, the single sink cannot be allowed any downtime, let alone be a failure. In a WSN security attack scenario, an attacker makes efforts to bring a sink down by identifying and capturing it. The current state of the art in sink protection schemes prevents such failures by preserving its privacy through letting it operate in promiscuous and all-the-time listening mode. However, such operation is still vulnerable to privacy divulgence because the attacker detects its all-the-time listening operation and identifies it. Furthermore, listening is an energy-expensive operation in WSNs that makes the sink battery die very quickly. In this paper, we propose a new sink privacy preservation scheme that defines the role of cooperating nodes. These cooperating nodes create a camouflage around the sink such that the location of the sink is never revealed. Such operational dispositioning reduces the susceptibility of WSNs generally and sink, particularly against the sink-targeted cyber attacks. Since the sink adopts sleep schedule, our scheme is energy efficient as well.

Escherichia coli is one of the major pathogens causing mastitis in dairy cattle. Yet, the factors which mediate the ability for E. coli to develop in the bovine mammary gland remain poorly elucidated. In a mouse model, infections induced by the reference mastitis E. coli P4 showed a strong colonisation of the mammary gland, while this strain had a low stimulating power on cells of the PS bovine mammary epithelial cell line. In order to understand if such a reduced response contributes to the severity of infection, a library of random mutants of P4 strain was screened to identify mutants inducing stronger response of PS cells. Among hyper-stimulating mutants, six were altered in genes involved in biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and had lost their O-polysaccharide region, suggesting that the presence of O-antigen impairs the response of PS cells to LPS. Using purified smooth (S) and rough (R) fractions of LPS, we showed that the R-LPS fraction induced a stronger response from PS cells than the smooth LPS fraction. Biological activity of the S-LPS fraction could be restored by the addition of recombinant bovine CD14 (rbCD14), indicating a crucial role of CD14 in the recognition of S-LPS by Mammary Epithelial Cells (MEC). When S-LPS and R-LPS were injected in udder quarters of healthy lactating cows, an inflammation developed in all infused quarters, but the S-LPS induced a more intense pro-inflammatory response, possibly in relation to sizeable concentrations of CD14 in milk. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the O-antigen modulates the pro-inflammatory response of MEC to LPS, that S-LPS and R-LPS trigger different responses of MEC and that these responses depend on the presence of CD14.

Academic analytics in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the promising technology of Data Mining (DM) is considered as the fastest method of generating knowledge discovery in the voluminous student digital data. Applying DM in the area of education will improve the performance of student and with the mined results; it can help educators to devise better teaching strategies for effective student learning. Knowledge discovery in student data can generate possible model for academic planners and educators for the institutional systemic change by improving the teaching, learning, and decision making strategy. Insights and predictive models can also be derived in identifying student performance and success rate. Several DM techniques can be listed and used in higher education such as clustering, classification, visualization, and association analysis. However, the research has emphasis on the technique of clustering using the modified K-Means Algorithm. The silhouette coefficient was incorporated in the K-Means algorithm for automatic direct cluster determination. The result showed that modification of the simple K-Means clustering algorithm through the use of silhouette coefficient achieved the same result in identifying the number of cluster with fewer burdens in the user subjective determination of cluster.

Los contenidos de fósforo (P) extractable de la mayoría de los suelos de la región pampeana disminuyeron al intensificarse su extracción con cultivos y pasturas. Son frecuentes los sitios con limitaciones en P que requieren de su aplicación para mejorar la producción agrícola. Las recomendaciones de fertilización difieren según tecnologías de aplicación por lo que nuestro objetivo fue cuantificar la respuesta de trigo (Triticum aestivum L), soja [Glycine max (L) Merrill] y maíz (Zea mays L) en rotación al uso del P según cultivos y localización del fertilizante. Durante 3 ciclos consecutivos de cultivos y en 9 lotes del centro de la región subhúmeda pampeana, sobre Hapludoles Énticos se establecieron tratamientos control sin fertilización con P y fertilizados con 22 kg ha-1 de P en cobertura total (Pvoleo) y en la línea de siembra (Plinea). Anualmente, se determinaron componentes del rendimiento, eficiencia de uso del P (EUP) y niveles de P extractable (Bray Kurtz I) del suelo. El agregado de P aumentó 43% la producción de trigo, 26% la de maíz, 49% la de soja de primera y 26% la de soja de segunda. No se observaron diferencias en las respuestas entre la ubicación del fertilizante. La EUP fue mayor en Plinea, principalmente en maíz. En ausencia de fertilización, los niveles de P extraído de los suelos disminuyeron en promedio a razón de 0,4 mg kg-1 año-1. En los tratamientos fertilizados, el P extraído de los suelos aumentó entre 2,0 mg kg-1 en Plinea y 4,0 mg kg-1 en Pvoleo. La decisión de la ubicación de fertilizantes con P requiere considerar, además del nivel extractable en el suelo, el cultivo y el propósito de la práctica para maximizar la eficiencia de conversión en granos o de mejora en los contenidos en el suelo.

Previous studies have found that bodily stimulation, such as hardness biases social judgment and evaluation via metaphorical association; however, it remains unclear whether bodily stimulation also affects cognitive functions, such as memory and creativity. The current study used metaphorical associations between “hard” and “rigid” and between “soft” and “flexible” in Chinese, to investigate whether the experience of hardness affects cognitive functions whose performance depends prospectively on rigidity (memory) and flexibility (creativity). In Experiment 1, we found that Chinese-speaking participants performed better at recalling previously memorized words while sitting on a hard-surface stool (the hard condition) than a cushioned one (the soft condition). In Experiment 2, participants sitting on a cushioned stool outperformed those sitting on a hard-surface stool on a Chinese riddle task, which required creative/flexible thinking, but not on an analogical reasoning task, which required both rigid and flexible thinking. The results suggest the hardness experience affects cognitive functions that are metaphorically associated with rigidity or flexibility. They support the embodiment proposition that cognitive functions and representations can be grounded in bodily states via metaphorical associations.

A total of twenty five sweet sorghum products were developed from the sweet sorghum grain at Pampanga Agricultural College, Magalang, Pampanga, Philippines. This products were grouped into soups and porridges (8 recipes); snacks and native delicacies (9 recipes), meals (8 recipes) and sorghum flour (2 recipes). In general, the sweet sorghum food products developed are "Like very much " in terms of taste and appearance but Moderately Like in terms of texture. Since the "pattern recipe" are popular the result of acceptability is high in terms of appearance and taste, however, the comment on texture is that there is a little rough or gritty taste and sometimes there is the presence of plastic like particles. As to level of acceptability, the food sorghum food products developed in this study were "Like very much" in terms of appearance, taste and over all acceptability but are "Moderately like" in terms of texture.

A geometrical method to determine the vertical distribution of a trace gas in the lower troposphere is presented. The technique is based on quasi-simultaneous measurements of diffuse solar radiation with spectrometric equipment observing the atmosphere from different viewing directions and a measurement of a distant lamp. Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) algorithms are applied to retrieve the slant column densities (SCDs) of the analyzed compound. A recursive procedure involving the set of observed SCDs, the geometry of measurement, and several offline radiative transfer simulations provides the vertical profile of the target trace gas. This technique is applied to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) SCDs, and the results are compared to the output of the modeling system Gas Aerosol Modeling Evaluation System (GAMES). The correlation coefficient between the DOAS and GAMES NO2 concentration profiles is 0.7 and shows a nonnegligible variability as a function of altitude and sky conditions.

A class of stochastic differential equation models was applied to describe the evolution of the weight of Mertolengo cattle. We have determined the optimal mean profit obtained by selling an animal at the cattle market, using two approaches. One consists in determining the optimal selling age (independently of the weight) and the other consists in selling the animal when a fixed optimal weight is achieved for the first time (independently of the age). The profit probability distribution can be computed for such optimal age/weight. For typical market values, we observed that the second approach achieves a higher optimal mean profit compared with the first one, and, in most cases, even provides a lower standard deviation.