Faith, Family, and Friends as Integral Factors in Student Resilience in the Ateneo de Manila School of Science and Engineering

What makes Filipino students resilient in times of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Even as some students succumb to anxiety and despair and lose motivation to learn; others actively take charge of their learning and remain hopeful and strong amid severe trials. What keeps them going; and what can we learn from them? 25 professors of the Ateneo de Manila School of Science and Engineering selected 92 college undergraduate and graduate students whom they observed to display resilience in learning and prodded them to reflect on how they overcame challenges in and out of the classroom. Whatever their circumstances; our study reveals that these resilient students rely on three main sources of support: deep faith; solid family bonds; and close friends and mentors who hold them accountable. As contrasted to the more individualistic context that gives rise to resilience as posited by Western literature; Filipino resilience is instead truly a community affair

Going for Gold in the International Math Olympiad

In July 2016, two high school students in the Philippine team garnered gold at the 57th International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in Hong Kong, capping a three-decade long quest for the top prize in the most prestigious high school math competition in the world. The four other team members also brought home honors, boosting our country to its highest rank ever, 17th out of 109 countries. This article discusses the history of the Philippine participation in the IMO, and examines the critical factors that have led to the victory. For Philippine team participants in general, these include: institutionalized and refined search for and training of potential participants, early exposure to problem solving from family and/or school, mental toughness of the students. Additional factors exist for Filipino-Chinese contestants, including the Confucian tradition of learning, scholastic role models, pattern similarities between math and the Chinese language, and more time spent learning math

Charmless Three-body Decays of B Mesons

Charmless 3-body decays of B mesons are studied in the framework of the factorization approach. The nonresonant contributions arising from $B\to P_1P_2$ transitions are evaluated using heavy meson chiral perturbation theory (HMChPT). The momentum dependence of nonresonant amplitudes is assumed to be in the exponential form e^{-\alpha_{NR}} p_B\cdot(p_i+p_j)} so that the HMChPT results are recovered in the soft meson limit $p_i, p_j\to 0$. In addition, we have identified another large source of the nonresonant signal in the matrix elements of scalar densities, e.g. $$, which can be constrained from the decay $\bar B^0\to K_SK_SK_S$ or $B^-\to K^-K_SK_S$. The intermediate vector meson contributions to 3-body decays are identified through the vector current, while the scalar meson resonances are mainly associated with the scalar density. Their effects are described in terms of the Breit-Wigner formalism. Our main results are: (i) All KKK modes are dominated by the nonresonant background. The predicted branching ratios of $K^+K^-K_{S(L)}$, $K^+K^-K^-$ and $K^-K_SK_S$ modes are consistent with the data within errors. (ii) Although the penguin-dominated $B^0\to K^+K^-K_{S}$ decay is subject to a potentially significant tree pollution, its effective $\sin 2\beta$ is very similar to that of the $K_SK_SK_S$ mode. However, direct CP asymmetry of the former, being of order -4%, is more prominent than the latter. (iii) For $B\to K\pi\pi$ decays, we found sizable nonresonant contributions in $K^-\pi^+\pi^-$ and $\bar K^0\pi^+\pi^-$ modes, in agreement with the Belle measurements but larger than the BaBar result.Comment: 39 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in PR

Recovery of rutin from labisia pumila extract using solid phase extraction

Reflux extraction was used to prepare crude extract from the leaves of Labisia pumila var. Alata using 60% methanol. The crude extract was subsequently fractionated by C18 solid phase extraction to recover high yield of rutin using 20-100% methanol. The volume of eluent to recover rutin was found to decrease with the increase of methanol concentration. The recovery of rutin was increased from 20 to 80% methanol system, but slightly decreased in the 100% methanol system. Approximately, 70% of rutin could be recovered using the 80% methanol system. This solvent system also appears to have the lowest distance (9.44 MPa1/2) for rutin as estimated by Hansen solubility. The recovered rutin rich fraction could achieve up to 3.96 mg/g of fraction which was about 4-fold increment from the crude extract. The increment was also noticed for its antioxidant capacity expressed as scavenging activity which was 2 times higher than crude extract. A portion of water (20%) in the 80% methanol system is important to improve the yield of rutin. Rutin is a glycosylated flavonol, and therefore a small portion of water could enhance its elution compared to the lower performance of 100% methanol in rutin recovery

Charmless Two-body Baryonic B Decays

We study charmless two-body baryonic B decays in a diagramatic approach. Relations on decay amplitudes are obtained. In general there are more than one tree and more than one penguin amplitudes. The number of independent amplitudes can be reduced in the large m_B limit. It leads to more predictive results. Some prominent modes for experimental searches are pointed out.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

A new neurosurgical tool incorporating differential geometry and cellular automata techniques

Using optical coherence imaging, it is possible to visualize seizure progression intraoperatively. However, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact epileptic focus. This is crucial in attempts to minimize the amount of resection necessary during surgical therapeutic interventions for epilepsy and is typically done approximately from visual inspection of optical coherence imaging stills. In this paper, we create an algorithm with the potential to pinpoint the source of a seizure from an optical coherence imaging still. To accomplish this, a grid is overlaid on optical coherence imaging stills. This then serves as a grid for a two-dimensional cellular automation. Each cell is associated with a Riemannian curvature tensor representing the curvature of the brain's surface in all directions for a cell. Cells which overlay portions of the image which show neurons that are firing are considered "depolarized"

Framework for the priority actions of filipino physical therapists in disaster risk reduction and management

Introduction: The study was conducted to develop a framework where physical therapists could be integrated into the disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) initiatives of a province in the northern Philippines. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study that utilized a research and development design. A validated questionnaire on the experience and perceptions of DRRM was administered to 20 selected physical therapists. A validated interview guide was administered to 10 local disaster control office head and members. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize and examine the qualitative data. Results: Physical therapists were found to have minimal exposure to disaster scenarios due to lack of training and experiences in disaster response. However, the physical therapists perceive that they are prepared to participate in DRRM and should be included. The study also revealed that physical therapists are not part of the local disaster management team because of limited awareness of leaders and members of the disaster control office on the roles of physical therapists in disaster management. Discussion: This study developed an action-oriented framework to guide physical therapists\u27 active involvement in all phases of disaster management. Specific strategies for the priorities for action of physical therapists in DRRM were identified based on the results of the study and its theoretical underpinnings

Role of Bryophytes And Tree Canopy In Mist Trapping In Mt. Marsabit Forest

Mt. Marsabit forest, is an isolated Tropical Rain Forest, oasis, located 560 Km north of Nairobi, Kenya; and surrounded by deserts of Chalbi, Kaisut and Bubisa. The forest is under threat mainly by anthropogenic effects before the forest biota is studied. This research was to investigate the role of bryophytes and forest canopy in trapping mist water, for supporting Mt. Marsabit forest community development. The experiments were located 1450 m. asl windward of Mt. Marsabit. Stem simulates of varying circumferences were dressed with bryophytes and bryophytes mounted mist traps were located on same site. The water retention capacity was 6 times own dry weight with a hygroscopic capacity of 13%. The mist water trapped by bryophytes was 8 liters of water / m ²/ mist day translating to 196 mm of rainfall per year. The stem simulates of 20 cm circumference, 50 cm long trapped 30 ml of water per mist day using surface area of 0.05 m² translating to 914 ml of water per m² per mist day equivalent to 65 mm of rainfall per year. The study revealed that vegetation is an important catchments area surface (attract rain) whose loss leads to reduced water resource for plant and animal use; climate moderation. Further, mist water is the compensation factor that supports the forest ecosystem. The cooling effect of water is lost with the loss of vegetation. The loss of water leads to drier environment with climate change as the ripple effect. The change in river regimes and the general hydrologic cycle is due to loss in vegetation, where mist water was not accounted for by science. The mist water resource is renewable water resource that can be used to recharge ground water, conserve and rehabilitate forest and provide water for domestic, agricultural and industrial use

Accounting for Slow J/psi from B Decay

A slow J/psi excess exists in the inclusive B -> J/psi+X spectrum, and is indicative of some hadronic effect. From color octet nature of c cbar pair in b-> c cbar s decay, one such possibility would be B -> J/psi+ K_g decay, where K_g is a hybrid resonance with sbar g q constituents. We show that a K_g resonance of ~ 2 GeV mass and suitably broad width could be behind the excess.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.