A conceptual plan for the provision of reception facilities in the Philippines

This dissertation synthesizes a conceptual plan for the provision of reception facilities to improve marine environmental protection in the Philippines. The study is premised on the perception that the various pollution control measures formulated by the Philippine Coast Guard, which are mandated to address ship source pollution, are not being implemented due to the absence or severe inadequacy of the needed reception facilities in ports. The extent of maritime activities is presented while the various legislation, rules and regulations adopted by the Government concerning marine environmental protection in general, and the provision of reception facilities in particular, are examined. In the same manner, existing operations of port reception facilities and waste management practice in the Philippines are also examined. The operational modalities of reception facilities of selected countries are considered and evaluated for their adaptability within the Philippine setting and especially the particular aspect of financing and cost recovery which is considered a critical issue.‘ With the foregoing, strategic considerations were formulated for the provision of reception facilities that should be initiated by the Philippine authorities in participation with the private sector. The concluding chapter summarizes the necessary approaches for the provision of reception facilities, which has been considered an important complimentary provision of MARPOL 73/78, in the Philippine setting. It is hoped that the plan will guide and influence concerned authorities and private enterprises to achieve total marine environmental protection, parallel with the IMO’s objective of “Safer Ships and Cleaner_Oceans”

1019-25 A Comparison of Preoperative Risk Factors for Early and Late Hospital Death in Cardiac Surgeries

Influence of preoperative risk factors on hospital mortality in cardiac surgeries has been investigated, but no one has identified differences in risk factors on early (postop day ≤ 2) and late death (postop day ≤ 3). To explore proper preventive strategies for each death, data were reviewed in 4351 adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery between 1/1/90 and 6/30/94. There were 93 (2.14%) early deaths and 171 (4.02%) late deaths in this series. Patients who died are older (early: 67.8 vs. 64.2, p=0.002; late: 71.1 vs. 63.9, p <0.001) Proportion of females is higher in late deaths (41.5% vs. 29.7%. p=0.001). but not in early deaths (32.3% vs. 30.2%, p=0.6). The early and late mortality are 1.65% and 2.78% for isolated CABGs (n=3037). 1.82% and 4.0% for isolated valves (n=713), 3.79% and 9.61% for CABG + valve (n=422), 7.82% and 12.73% for others (n=179). To adjust influence of preoperative risk factors on each type of death. stepwise logistic regression was applied.Early DeathLate DeathRisk FactorOdds RatiopRisk FactorOdds RatiopCardiac arrest5.98<0.001Cardiogenic shock6.93<0.001Refuse blood5.84<0.001Renal disease5.50<0.001Age≥ 85 years5.010.008CV disease4.08<0.001Emergency3.67<0.001MI <30 days3.360.004Re-operation2.85<0.001Cardiac arrest3.31<0.001Rheumatic dis.2.790.001Respiratory dis3.19<0.001Preop EF <35%2.71<0.001Liver disease3.040.051Hypotension2.260.009Age ≥ 75 years2.80<0.001MI < 10 days2.100.005Rheumatic dis2.190.002IABP support1.920.042Emergency1.560.035Age 65–64 years1.770.017Heart Failure1.480.050Diabetes1.470.055Chronic Isch. HD0.37<0.001Conclusions(1) Acute cardiac factors dominate early mortality. (2) Chronic organ system function is more important in late deaths than in early deaths. (3) Risk adjusted mortality does not differ significantly in genders

Left ventricular to left atrial communication secondary to a paraaortic abscess: Color flow doppler documentation

Aortic root abscess occurs frequently in aortic prosthetic valve infective endocarditis. The present echocardiography report documents a ruptured abscess that led to a direct communication between the left ventricular outflow tract and the left atrium confirmed by real-time (color flow) Doppler imaging

Voltammetric determination of lead and cadmium in vegetables by graphene paste electrode modified with activated carbon from coconut husk

A multilayer graphene paste electrode (MGPE), consisting of graphene flakes and mineral oil, was modified with activated carbon (AC). The AC was produced from coconut husk using zinc chloride as the activating agent. The AC/MGPE was fabricated by substituting an amount of the multilayer graphene (MG) with the AC, and the resulting paste was packed in a Teflon syringe. The electrode was used to simultaneously detect lead (Pb2+) and cadmium (Cd2+) via anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The amounts of MG and AC in the electrodes were varied by substituting the amount of the former with the latter (by percent) and the best electrode was found to consist of 5% AC and 95% MG. The optimal parameters, accumulation time, deposition time, and deposition potential were determined. The optimized parameters were used on the said best electrode to determine the calibration curve and limit of detection. The peak current had a linear relation with the concentration of the heavy metals with a correlation value (R2) of 0.9956 and 0.9973 for Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively. After which the electrode was used to detect heavy metals in vegetable samples, and the results were verified via atomic absorption spectroscopy. The heavy metal concentrations that were detected in most of the samples were above the maximum limit as dictated by the World Health Organization. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd

Automated essay evaluator

Evaluating essay portions of exams has always been labor-intensive for the teaching staff and human evaluators. To solve this problem, researches regarding automatic essay evaluation are ongoing, and practical implementation of such has risen just recently. This research presents Automated Essay Evaluator, a system that automates the evaluation of a large collection of essay-type documents using natural language processing (NLP) and Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) technique. Rule-based natural language parsing is used for the grammar checking of the text while LSA is used to evaluate the content. Testing and evaluation were done to determine its performance in evaluating essays. Results show that the system is 85%-93% accurate in predicting the grammar grade, while it is 89%-98% accurate in predicting the content grade of essays

Experiences of Intergenerational Caregiving among Women Belonging to the Sandwich Generation: An Example from the Philippines

This study sought to understand the experiences of intergenerational caregiving among urban poor women belonging to the Sandwich Generation that is individuals who care for both their children and aging parents. Guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we explored the experiences of eight Filipina mothers. Results revealed how societal/cultural expectations contributed to their willingness to accept the responsibility to be intergenerational caregivers, and how socioeconomic conditions influenced the existence of this care cycle. Findings point to how financial, material and policy support from government and workplaces may enable better provision of care for the parents and children of urban poor Filipino women as well as allow for self-care. Reframing traditional gender roles especially in child-rearing as well as discouraging culturally-shaped practices that engender the continuation of the care cycle through education may help in addressing the structurally enabled challenges experienced by women in the Sandwich Generation