Powercoaching Program and Oral Discourse Competence of Grade 10 Students

Powercoaching is an intervention program which aims to enhance the oral discourse competence of the students. It highlights various activities that can help students with speaking difficulties. It was conducted among Grade 10 students of New Pangasinan National High School during the School Year 2019-2020. This study dealt to determine the level of effectiveness of the powercoaching program in terms of its content, relevance, instructional quality, and acceptability. Experimental research design was employed to determine the level of oral discourse competence of the students in terms of grammar, pronunciation, spontaneity, substance, organization, and diction. The findings of the study showed that the program was excellent and passed the quality standard set by the validators. The level of oral discourse competence of the students in their onset test were both in approaching proficient. The students were either struggling or have not acquired the knowledge, skills and understanding in public speaking. The difference between the levels of oral discourse competence of the students reveals that among the two groups of students, one group performed better in the outset test. The experimental group significantly increased their performance with proficient level compared to the control group. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the mean gain scores of the control and experimental groups. Students under experimental group have gained higher mean than the control group. Hence, the powercoaching program greatly influenced the students’ oral communicative competence. The developed program is then recommended for teachers’ utilization as part of their intervention strategies

Meta-Analysis on the Dissolution of Bamboo (Bambusa) Cellulose using NaOH/urea Aqueous Solution

Bamboo cellulose is a non-dangerous, biodegradable polymer with high elastic, compressive quality thereby beneficial in commercial and pharmaceutical industries. However, preparing it involves a complex procedure of solvent dissolution. NaOH/urea solution is a common solvent for cellulose dissolution, but its efficiency varies with temperature and concentration. Thus, this study aims to synthesize evidence on the efficiency of NaOH/urea solution in bamboo cellulose dissolution; identify the most suitable concentration and temperature of NaOH/urea; and determine the relationships between its concentration, temperature and bamboo cellulose’ dissolution rate. Extracted data indicated the bamboo source sample, NaOH/urea concentration, temperature, and dissolution results from five databases and utilized Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses (QUOROM) and Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) instruments for the studies’ quality assessment. Among the studies, 93% utilized the concentration ratio of 7:12:81; therefore, concentration’s minimal changes did not profoundly affect the dissolution, given the same temperatures. Out of fifteen studies, eight used -12°C affirming that minimal changes in temperature affect the dissolution results. The Chi-square test revealed that only temperature and concentration indicate a significant relationship (x2=5.793, P\u3c0.10). The heterogeneity test displayed a small amount of heterogeneity (I2= 33.42%, P\u3c0.10; I2= 1.8%, P\u3c0.10) on the gathered data that may be clinically unimportant, making the data considerably homogeneous. Hence, this provides significant evidence validating the efficiency of 7:12:81 NaOH/urea aqueous solution at -12°C in the dissolution of bamboo cellulose

Impact of Olive Extract Addition on Corn Starch-Based Active Edible Films Properties for Food Packaging Applications

Active edible films based on corn starch containing glycerol as a plasticizer and an olive extract obtained from Spanish olive fruit (Olea europaea) by-products (olive extract; OE) at different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 wt%) were prepared by using the casting technique and further solvent-evaporation. OE showed high total phenolic and flavonoids contents and antioxidant activity, which was evaluated by using three different methods: free radical scavenging assay by (1, 1-Dipheny l-2-picrylhydrazyl) DPPH, 2, 2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) ABTS radical inhibition and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The incorporation of OE into the corn starch/glycerol matrix underlined the antioxidant potential and antimicrobial effect against E. coli and S. aureus of these novel active films, being noticeable for films added with 0.2 wt% OE. The developed active films showed a clear thermo-oxidative stability improvement with OE incorporation, in particular at 0.2 wt% loading with an increase of around 50 °C in the initial degradation temperature (Tini) and oxidation onset temperature (OOT). The functional properties of control films were also improved with OE addition resulting in a decrease in Young´s modulus, elongation at break, shore D hardness and water vapor permeability. The present work suggested the potential of the developed corn starch-based edible films as low-price and sustainable food packaging systems to prevent the oxidative deterioration of packaged foodstuff while reducing also the generation of olive by-products

Genomic innovation for crop improvement

Crop production needs to increase to secure future food supplies, while reducing its impact on ecosystems. Detailed characterization of plant genomes and genetic diversity is crucial for meeting these challenges. Advances in genome sequencing and assembly are being used to access the large and complex genomes of crops and their wild relatives. These have helped to identify a wide spectrum of genetic variation and permitted the association of genetic diversity with diverse agronomic phenotypes. In combination with improved and automated phenotyping assays and functional genomic studies, genomics is providing new foundations for crop-breeding systems

Addressing health workforce inequities in the Mindanao regions of the Philippines: tracer study of graduates from a socially-accountable, community-engaged medical school and graduates from a conventional medical school

Developing and retaining a high-quality medical workforce in low-resource countries is a worldwide challenge. The Filipino Ateneo de Zamboanga University–School of Medicine (ADZU-SOM) has adopted a strong focus on socially accountable health professional education (SAHPE) in order to address the shortage of physicians across rural and urban communities in the Western Mindanao region. A cross-sectional survey of graduates from two Philippines medical schools: ADZU-SOM in the Mindanao region and a medical school with a more conventional curriculum, found ADZU-SOM graduates were more likely to have joined the medical profession due to a desire to help others (p=0.002), came from lower socioeconomic strata (p¼0.001) and had significantly (p<0.05) more positive attitudes to community service. ADZU graduates were also more likely to currently work in Government Rural Health Units (p<0.001) or be generalist Medical Officers (p<0.001) or Rural/Municipal Health Officers (p=0.003). ADZU graduates were also less likely to work in private or specialist Government hospitals (p=0.033 and p=0.040, respectively) and be surgical or medical specialists (p=0.010 and p<0.001, respectively). The findings suggest ADZU-SOM’s SAHPE philosophy manifests in the practice choices of its graduates and that the ADZUSOM can meet the rural and urban health workforce needs of the Western Mindanao region

Evolutionary trade-off between vocal tract and testes dimensions in howler monkeys.

Males often face a trade-off between investments in precopulatory and postcopulatory traits [1], particularly when male-male contest competition determines access to mates [2]. To date, studies of precopulatory strategies have largely focused on visual ornaments (e.g., coloration) or weapon morphology (e.g., antlers, horns, and canines). However, vocalizations can also play an important role in both male competition and female choice [3-5]. We investigated variation in vocal tract dimensions among male howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.), which produce loud roars using a highly specialized and greatly enlarged hyoid bone and larynx [6]. We examined the relative male investment in hyoids and testes among howler monkey species in relation to the level of male-male competition and analyzed the acoustic consequences of variation in hyoid morphology. Species characterized by single-male groups have large hyoids and small testes, suggesting high levels of vocally mediated competition. Larger hyoids lower formant frequencies, probably increasing the acoustic impression of male body size and playing a role analogous to investment in large body size or weaponry. Across species, as the number of males per group increases, testes volume also increases, indicating higher levels of postcopulatory sperm competition, while hyoid volume decreases. These results provide the first evidence of an evolutionary trade-off between investment in precopulatory vocal characteristics and postcopulatory sperm production.We are grateful to Alexander Sliwa, Catalina Gomez, Robert Wallace, Michael Plavkan, Zelinda Braga Hirano, and Julio Cesar de Souza, Jr. for sharing data, Andrew Kitchener (National Museums Scotland) for loaning whole animal specimens, Michaela Gumpenberger and Jaap Saers for support with CT and MRI, Carolyn M. Crockett, Mariana Raño, and La Senda Verde Animal Refuge Bolivia for providing photographs and videos, Nadja Kavcik for help with the figures, and Dieter Lukas for help with statistical analyses. J.C.D. was funded by a Cambridge Humanities Research Grant. W.T.F. acknowledges support of ERC Advanced Grant SOMACCA (#230604) and Austrian Science Fund (FWF) grant W1234-G17.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.02

A Production Calendar Based on Water Temperature, Spat Size, and Husbandry Practices Reduce OsHV-1 μvar Impact on Cultured Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas in the Ebro Delta (Catalonia), Mediterranean Coast of Spain

Since 2006, the production of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in the Ebro Delta area has dramatically declined from around 800 metric tons (MT) per year to 138 MT in 2011. This decline in production has had a significant socio-economic impact in a region where the shellfish sector is a traditional economic activity for many families. The identified agent responsible for this reduction in C. gigas production was Ostreid Herpesvirus microvar (OsHV-1 μvar), which has been associated with C. gigas spat mortalities in France, and in many other countries. In Spain the episodes of mortality became critical for the regional shellfish production between 2008 until 2014, with mortality percentage up to 100%. In this study, local hatchery C. gigas spat was used as sentinel animals for epidemiological studies and management tests carried out with the aim of reducing oyster mortality in the Ebro Delta area. A production calendar mainly based on water temperature dynamics was designed around an optimal schedule for spat immersion. The mmersion calendar included two optimal periods for spat immersion, in summer when temperatures are ≥25◦C and at the end of autumn and beginning of winter when they are ≤13◦C. Such production planning has reduced mortalities from 80% (in 2014 and previous years) to 2–7.5% in 2015 in cemented oysters. Furthermore, other recommendations related to spat immersion size, culture density and methodology, and cementing calendar, which helped to achieve the results presented, were also recorded and transferred to local producers. This work presents a successfully tested management strategy reducing OsHV-1 μvar impact by designing new field management practices mainly focused on the handling and timing of spat immersion. This approach could be used as a management model in areas presenting similar production practices and environmental characteristics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Drop Traffic in Microfluidic Ladder Networks with Fore-Aft Structural Asymmetry

We investigate the dynamics of pairs of drops in microfluidic ladder networks with slanted bypasses, which break the fore-aft structural symmetry. Our analytical results indicate that unlike symmetric ladder networks, structural asymmetry introduced by a single slanted bypass can be used to modulate the relative drop spacing, enabling them to contract, synchronize, expand, or even flip at the ladder exit. Our experiments confirm all these behaviors predicted by theory. Numerical analysis further shows that while ladder networks containing several identical bypasses are limited to nearly linear transformation of input delay between drops, mixed combination of bypasses can cause significant non-linear transformation enabling coding and decoding of input delays.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure