A Brief Survey of the History and Problems of Education in the Philippines and their Bearing on Mission Work

A Brief Survey of the History and Problems of Education in the Philippines is an attempt on the part of the author to contribute to a body of knowledge on the Philippine Islands in order that future students in Filipiniana may obtain a better perspective In the understanding of the island and their people. The thesis, however, has a more specific purpose than this. It seeks to give the students of the Department of Missions and members of mission boards interested in the Philippines an insight into the problems and challenges of education in the Philippines as it has to do with the church and its mission

Exploring the influence of a school-based therapy dog reading program on reluctant readers’ motivation to read and reading fluency in the K-4 setting.

This mixed-methods research study focuses on students’, teachers’, and parents’ perceptions of the influence therapy dogs in schools can have on reluctant readers’ attitudes about reading and motivation to read at school and at home as well as exploring changes in the participants\u27 oral fluency. Eight student participants read to our school therapy dog in a 1:1 setting two times each week throughout a six-week period. Before beginning the sessions, each student completed a reading perception survey to serve as a baseline for each child\u27s motivation to read. Each student was also interviewed, seeking information about each child\u27s feelings about reading as well as thoughts that reflect how each child perceived themselves as a reader. Surveys were administered to the student participants\u27 teachers in order to gain information regarding their perceptions about their students\u27 reading motivation prior to and after the therapy dog reading sessions. Surveys were also given to the student participants\u27 parents/guardians after the reading pilot to gain their perception about their children\u27s reading motivation. Additionally, the researcher reviewed fluency assessment scores administered both before and after the reading pilot as part of their literacy intervention program to compare scores. Each child\u27s motivation to read both before and after they read to the therapy dog were explored through the lens of the student, their teacher, their parent/guardian, and their literacy interventionist. The researcher examined their perceptions to determine if using therapy dogs in schools to supplement literacy intervention could be a worthwhile endeavor. Overwhelmingly, the students shared how reading to the therapy dog made them feel happier and more comfortable. The majority of parents/guardians observed increases in their child’s interest in reading. The students’ classroom teachers shared that the majority of their students were more motivated at the end of the pilot. The overall fluency data did not demonstrate a significant change for the majority of students

Recent Replacement of Native Pili Grass (Heteropogon contortus) by Invasive African Grasses in the Hawaiian Islands

We surveyed 41 sites from throughout O'ahu that had been dominated by native pili grass (Heteropogon contortus) in the late 1960s. Pili grass was absent from 14 (35%) of those sites in 1997 and had declined in abundance in most of the 27 remaining sites, relative to the late 1960s. The pili grass communities have been replaced by communities dominated by one of three African grasses: Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel grass), Pennisetum setaceum (fountain grass), or Panicum maximum (Guinea grass). Panicum maximum was often associated with the shrub Leucaena leucocephala, and Cenchrus ciliaris and Pennisetum setaceum communities showed little evidence of succession toward woody vegetation. Communities dominated by the African grasses were significantly less diverse, in terms of number of plant species, than the native pili grass-dominated communities. Observations made on other Hawaiian islands suggest that this rapid pili grass decline and replacement with alien grasses has not been limited to O'ahu. Research is needed to determine how higher-diversity native pili grass communities can be maintained in the Hawaiian Islands as a valuable natural and cultural resource

Integrating Economic Performance and Process Simulation Models in Evaluating Sawmill Design Alternatives

This paper describes a simulation study that combines an economic performance measure and a process simulation model. This integrated approach is capable of capturing the operational and cost behavior of a sawmill system over time by taking into consideration the effects of the stochastic occurrence of machine breakdowns and other processing delays. The method is demonstrated using an actual design problem involving a profiler chipper-canter mill

The Prognostic Significance of the Preoperative Full Blood Count after Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases

Introduction. Increased preoperative platelet and neutrophil counts are risk factors for decreased survival in several different malignancies. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between overall or disease-free survival after resection of CRLM and the preoperative haematological parameters. Methods. We reviewed a cohort of 140 patients who underwent resection of CRLM with curative intent, utilising prospectively maintained databases. Patient demographics, operative details, FBC, CRP, INR, histopathology results, and survival data were examined. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were used to determine the impact of all variables on survival. Results. 140 patients (96 males) with a median age of 67 years (range 33–82 years) underwent resection of CRLM. A significant correlation was exhibited between preoperative platelet count and neutrophil count (rho = 0.186, P = .028). When modelled as continuous covariates in a Cox regression hazards, an increased preoperative platelet (P = .02) and neutrophil counts (P ≤ .001) were significantly associated with overall survival. Of the haematological parameters assessed only preoperative platelet count showed a strong trend of association with disease free survival; however this failed to reach statistical significance (P = .076). Conclusions. Increased preoperative platelet and neutrophil counts are independent risk factors for decreased survival in patients undergoing resection of CRLM in our series of patients. These findings require validation in larger studies to determine their relationship with survival. Further research into the role of these cell types in tumour progression, particularly in the development and inhibition of angiogenesis, is warranted

Parallel Evaluation of Multi-join Queries

A number of execution strategies for parallel evaluation of multi-join queries have been proposed in the literature. In this paper we give a comparative performance evaluation of four execution strategies by implementing all of them on the same parallel database system, PRISMA/DB. Experiments have been done up to 80 processors. These strategies, coming from the literature, are named: Sequential Parallel, Synchronous Execution, Segmented Right-Deep, and Full Parallel. Based on the experiments clear guidelines are given when to use which strategy. This is an extended abstract; the full paper appeared in Proc. ACM SIGMOD'94, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 24–27, 199

Comparación de frecuencias alélicas y genotípicas de los polimorfismos CAPN1-316 Y CAPN1-4751 del gen de la Calpaina en tres poblaciones de ganado criollo boliviano

La terneza de la carne está en parte determinada por el sistema proteico calpaína (CAPN1) / calpastatina (CAST). Bolivia posee en los llanos tres biotipos de ganado Criollo: los Yacumeños, los Chaqueños y los Saavedreños. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar la frecuencia alélica y genotípica del gen de la CAPN1 en tres poblaciones de ganado Criollo de Bolivia. Se obtuvieron muestras de sangre de 28 Criollos del Chaco (CCH), 85 Criollos Yacumeños (CYA) y 30 Criollos Saavedreños (CSV). El ADN se extrajo utilizando el kit comercial Wizard® Genomic Purification, y posteriormente se tipificaron dos polimorfismos (CAPN1-316 y CAPN1-4751) del gen CAPN1 mediante el método ARMS-PCR. La frecuencias alélicas y genotípicas, las heterocigosidades esperadas y observadas, así como, el índice FIS y el desequilibrio de ligamiento (LD) fueron calculadas mediante los programas MS-Tools y Genepop. Las frecuencias de los alelos asociados a mayor terneza para las poblaciones de CCH, CYA y CSV fueron: 23%, 22% y 33 % para el alelo C del SNP CAPN1-316 y 75%, 76% y 60% para el alelo C del CAPN1-4751. La heterocigocidad observada en las tres poblaciones se hallan en un rango de 0,30 a 0,46 para el marcador CAPN1-316 y de 0,21 a 0,60 para el polimorfismo CAPN1-4751. Los resultados demuestran que los bovinos criollos en las poblaciones analizadas poseen altas frecuencias alélicas para las variantes asociadas a mayor terneza de la carne. Por otra parte, no se observaron valores significativos de LD (P>0,01) entre los dos polimorfismos tipificados en las poblaciones estudiadas. Sería necesario tipificar ambos polimorfismos en futuros programas de selección asistida por marcadores genéticos.Meat tenderness is in part determined by the calpain (CAPN1) / calpastatin (CAST) genes. In the lowlands of Bolivia, three well differentiated Creole cattle populations can be distinguished: the Yacumeños, Chaqueños and Saavedreños. The main objective of this research was to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of two polymorphisms of the calpain gene in three Creole cattle populations in Bolivia. Blood samples of 28 Creole cattle from Chaqueño cattle (CCH), 85 from Yacumeño cattle (CYA) and 30 from Saavadreño cattle (CSV) were collected. Total DNA was extracted using the commercial kit Wizard® Genomic Purification and subsequently two polymorphisms (CAPN1-316 and CAPN1- 4751) of the CAPN1 gene were genotyped by the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS-PCR) method. Allelic and genotypic frequencies, expected and observed heterozygosities, the FIS index and the magnitude of linkage disequilibrium (LD) were calculated using the software MS-Tools and Genepop. The allelic frequencies of variants associated with tenderness in the three populations CCH, CYA and CSV were 23%, 22% and 23% for the CAPN1- 316 and 75%, 76% and 60% for the CAPN1-4751. The observed heterozygosities in the three populations fluctuated between 0.30 and 0.46 for the CAPN1-316 marker and between 0.21 and 0.60 for the CAPN1-4751 marker. The results showed that the analysed populations of Creole cattle presented high frequencies of the alleles previously associated with tenderness in meat. The analysis of LD, however, did not show evidence of linkage between the two markers. It is necessary to perform a genetic analysis for both polymorphisms if included in future selection programs.Fil: Pereira, J. A. C.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Falomir Lockhart, Agustin Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Loza, A.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Villegas Castagnasso, Egle Etel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, P.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Carino, M. . Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Ripoli, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Giovambattista, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentin

Design of a conservation program assited by genetic markers in a herd of Yacumeño cattle in Santa Cruz – Bolivia

La Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias de la UAGRM consolido un programa de conservación del ganado Bovino Criollo Yacumeño a partir del año 2004. La conservación de recursos zoogenéticos generalmente se realiza en poblaciones pequeñas, las cuales tienen un tamaño poblacional efectivo muy reducido. En estos casos es importante realizar apareamientos que mantengan la variabilidad genética alta y los niveles de consanguinidad bajos. El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en determinar las paternidades y los linajes paternos mediante el uso de marcadores moleculares. El ADN se extrajo partir de muestras de sangre de los 149 animales del hato y se procedió a genotipificar todos los individuos utilizando 18 microsatélites y 7 marcadores del cromosoma Y. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron identificar dos grandes grupos de vacas y 3 linajes paternos. Esta información servirá para diseñar un programa reproductivo que evite en lo posible la perdida de la variabilidad genética y mantenga niveles aceptables de consaguinidad en el hato a conservar.The Faculty of Veterinary Science of the UAGRM consolidated a conservation program of the Yacumeño Creole cattle. The conservation of zoogenetic resources is performed generally in small populations, which usually has a reduced effective population size. In those cases it is important to keep high genetic variability and low levels of consanguinity by performing specific mating among the animals. The main objective of this research consisted in determine the paternity and male lines by using molecular markers. The DNA was extracted from blood sample of 149 animals and were genotyped all the individuals using 18 microsatellites and 7 markers of the Y chromosome. The results obtained allowed to identify two groups of cows and 3 male lines. This information will be useful to design a reproductive program that avoids to a certain degree the lost of genetic variability and will keep acceptable levels of consanguinity among the herd.Fil: Pereira, J. A. C.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Carino, M. H.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Hoyos, R.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Rogberg Muñoz, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Loza, A.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Liron, Juan Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Mamani, T.. Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno; BoliviaFil: Ripoli, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Giovambattista, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentin

Hijacking SARS-CoV-2/ACE2 Receptor Interaction by Natural and Semi-synthetic Steroidal Agents Acting on Functional Pockets on the Receptor Binding Domain

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory tract infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS)-CoV-2. In light of the urgent need to identify novel approaches to be used in the emergency phase, we have embarked on an exploratory campaign aimed at repurposing natural substances and clinically available drugs as potential anti-SARS-CoV2-2 agents by targeting viral proteins. Here we report on a strategy based on the virtual screening of druggable pockets located in the central β-sheet core of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike's protein receptor binding domain (RBD). By combining an in silico approach and molecular in vitro testing we have been able to identify several triterpenoid/steroidal agents that inhibit interaction of the Spike RBD with the carboxypeptidase domain of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE2). In detail, we provide evidence that potential binding sites exist in the RBD of the SARS CoV-2 Spike protein and that occupancy of these pockets reduces the ability of the RBD to bind to the ACE2 consensus in vitro. Naturally occurring and clinically available triterpenoids such as glycyrrhetinic and oleanolic acids, as well as primary and secondary bile acids and their amidated derivatives such as glyco-ursodeoxycholic acid and semi-synthetic derivatives such as obeticholic acid reduces the RBD/ACE2 binding. In aggregate, these results might help to define novel approaches to COVID-19 based on SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors