Giyera sa Droga (War on Drugs): An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to the influence of negative word-of-mouth communication to the tourists’ intention to visit the Philippines

War on drugs campaign commenced in the Duterte Administration in 2016. The campaign resulted to worldwide criticisms which spread negative word-of-mouth about the Philippines. The study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) by Ajzen and Fishbein (1991) to test the negative word-of-mouth (WOM) communication regarding war on drugs to tourists’ intention to visit the Philippines. Structural Equation Modelling was utilized to determine the relationship among the three factors of TPB namely, Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioural Control to tourist intention. The data was collected from 242 foreign passport holders and through an interview conducted with the Department of Tourism (DOT). The result of the study reveals that Attitude does not affect tourist intention to travel. On the other hand, Subjective Norm has the strongest influence on tourist intention followed by Perceived Behavioural Control but does not necessarily affect their decision-making behaviour towards visiting the Philippines regardless of the campaign

Lineage-Specific Biology Revealed by a Finished Genome Assembly of the Mouse

A finished clone-based assembly of the mouse genome reveals extensive recent sequence duplication during recent evolution and rodent-specific expansion of certain gene families. Newly assembled duplications contain protein-coding genes that are mostly involved in reproductive function

A Single Molecule Scaffold for the Maize Genome

About 85% of the maize genome consists of highly repetitive sequences that are interspersed by low-copy, gene-coding sequences. The maize community has dealt with this genomic complexity by the construction of an integrated genetic and physical map (iMap), but this resource alone was not sufficient for ensuring the quality of the current sequence build. For this purpose, we constructed a genome-wide, high-resolution optical map of the maize inbred line B73 genome containing >91,000 restriction sites (averaging 1 site/∼23 kb) accrued from mapping genomic DNA molecules. Our optical map comprises 66 contigs, averaging 31.88 Mb in size and spanning 91.5% (2,103.93 Mb/∼2,300 Mb) of the maize genome. A new algorithm was created that considered both optical map and unfinished BAC sequence data for placing 60/66 (2,032.42 Mb) optical map contigs onto the maize iMap. The alignment of optical maps against numerous data sources yielded comprehensive results that proved revealing and productive. For example, gaps were uncovered and characterized within the iMap, the FPC (fingerprinted contigs) map, and the chromosome-wide pseudomolecules. Such alignments also suggested amended placements of FPC contigs on the maize genetic map and proactively guided the assembly of chromosome-wide pseudomolecules, especially within complex genomic regions. Lastly, we think that the full integration of B73 optical maps with the maize iMap would greatly facilitate maize sequence finishing efforts that would make it a valuable reference for comparative studies among cereals, or other maize inbred lines and cultivars

Vocabulario Pampango-Tagalog-Inglés : compendio del Tagalog-Castellano-Inglés /

Mode of access: Internet

New features from the Romblon Island Group: Key to understanding the arc–continent collision in Central Philippines

International audienceA complete ophiolite sequence and mélange are reported for the first time in the Romblon Island Group located at the central part of the Philippine archipelago. The study area comprises Tablas, Romblon and Sibuyan Islands built on amalgamated crust and mantle rocks that are typically fault-bounded and stratigraphically disrupted. The Sibuyan Ophiolite Complex (SOC) consists of harzburgite and dunite, layered clinopyroxenite, layered and isotropic gabbro, diabase dike swarm and basaltic–andesitic pillow lava and flow deposits. A Jurassic–Cretaceous age of formation and late Early Miocene age of emplacement are suggested for the SOC by available data. Emplacement of these crust–mantle units is believed to have been facilitated through displacements along east-verging thrust faults developed consequent to the Early Miocene arc–continent collision in Central Philippines. Along with recent K–Ar isotopic ages (12 Ma) obtained for some of the metamorphic rocks in the area, these lithologic units and structural features provide critical information regarding the arc–continent collision which is one of the significant events in the evolution of the Philippine island arc system. The usefulness of potential field geophysical methods to studying lithologic and structural relationships in an extremely disrupted terrane is evaluated in this study. Observed variations in gravity and magnetic values correlated with lithologic distributions and geologic structures. Higher relative Bouguer and magnetic anomalies are observed over members of the complete ophiolite sequence and younger igneous materials exposed in Tablas and Sibuyan Islands. Their geophysical characteristics contrast markedly with the less dense and magnetically inferior sedimentary rocks exposed only on Tablas Island. On the other hand, metamorphic units in Tablas, Romblon and Sibuyan Islands display variable magnetic and gravity signatures that reflect differences in composition and alteration or weathering. Thrust faults related to the emplacement of the ophiolite as a result of the collision are inferred from sudden changes in gravity and magnetic value

PacBio-based mitochondrial genome assembly of Leucaena trichandra (Leguminosae) and an intrageneric assessment of mitochondrial RNA editing

Reconstructions of vascular plant mitochondrial genomes (mt-genomes) are notoriously complicated by rampant recombination that has resulted in comparatively few plant mt-genomes being available. The dearth of plant mitochondrial resources has limited our understanding of mt-genome structural diversity, complex patterns of RNA editing, and the origins of novel mt-genome elements. Here, we use an efficient long read (PacBio) iterative assembly pipeline to generate mt-genome assemblies for Leucaena trichandra (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae: mimosoid clade), providing the first assessment of non-papilionoid legume mt-genome content and structure to date. The efficiency of the assembly approach facilitated the exploration of alternative structures that are common place among plant mitochondrial genomes. A compact version (729 kbp) of the recovered assemblies was used to investigate sources of mt-genome size variation among legumes and mt-genome sequence similarity to the legume associated root holoparasite Lophophytum. The genome and an associated suite of transcriptome data from select species of Leucaena permitted an in-depth exploration of RNA editing in a diverse clade of closely related species that includes hybrid lineages. RNA editing in the allotetraploid, Leucaena leucocephala, is consistent with co-option of nearly equal maternal and paternal C-to-U edit components, generating novel combinations of RNA edited sites. A preliminary investigation of L. leucocephala C-to-U edit frequencies identified the potential for a hybrid to generate unique pools of alleles from parental variation through edit frequencies shared with one parental lineage, those intermediate between parents, and transgressive patterns

QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL OF OUTPUTS OF A NATIONWIDE AGRICULTURAL LAND COVER MAPPING PROGRAM USING LIDAR: PHIL-LIDAR 2 PARMAP EXPERIENCE

The Agricultural Resources Extraction from LiDAR Surveys (PARMAP) project component of the Nationwide Detailed Resources Assessment using LiDAR (Phil-LiDAR 2) Program aims to produce detailed agricultural maps using LiDAR. Agricultural land cover at crop level was classified through object based image analysis using Support Vector Machine as classifier and LiDAR derivatives from point cloud (2 points per sq.m.) and orthophoto (0.5-meter resolution) as inputs. An accuracy of at least 90 %, assessed using validation points from the field and through image interpretation, was required before proceeding to post-processing and map lay-out. Knowledge sharing and capacity development facilitated by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) enabled partner universities across the Philippines to produce outputs for their assigned region. Considering output layers were generated by multiple teams working on different landscape complexities with some degree of data quality variability, quality checking is crucial to ensure accuracy standards were met. UPD PARMap devised a centralized and end-to-end scheme divided into four steps – land classification, GIS post-processing, schema application, and map lay-out. At each step, a block is reviewed and, subsequently, either approved or returned with documentation on required revisions. Turnaround time of review is at least one block (area ranging from 10 to 580 sq. km.) per day. For coastal municipalities, an additional integration process to incorporate mapped coastal features was applied. Common problems observed during quality checking include misclassifications, gaps between features, incomplete attributes and missing map elements. Some issues are particular to specific blocks such as problematic LiDAR derivatives. UPD addressed these problems through discussion and mentoring visits to partner universities. As of March 2017, a total of 336 municipal agricultural maps have been turned-over to various stakeholders. For the remaining months of the program, an additional 360 maps are expected to be distributed