Cooperative Business Failures in Batangas Province, Philippines: A Postmortem Analysis

Cooperatives all over the world are said to be imbued with inherent weaknesses and challenges, and therefore, steering these entities towards sustainability is seen as an uphill climb. This paper delves into the reasons why some cooperatives in the Philippines dissolve or stop operating. Specifically, the study aimed to review the literature on factors affecting cooperative business sustainability and failures, to present and analyze two cases of failed multipurpose cooperatives and offer recommendations on operating cooperatives for their continued sustainability. Data was gathered through key informant interviews and secondary sources, and analyzed using the case approach and descriptive analysis. Extant literature primarily pinpointed issues such as poor management, lack of capital, property rights, and portfolio problems as the culprits behind cooperative conversions, failures and restructurings. What made the two multipurpose cooperatives unsustainable were the insufficiency of funds needed to meet Cooperatives Development Authority (CDA) requirements, delinquency of members and their inactive participation in cooperative affairs, mismanagement of resources, absence of a viable marketing system and the lack of a capable financial manager. Cultivating managerial and leadership skills, improving governance, establishing private sector and government linkages and support, encouraging participatory membership, utilizing an effective marketing system, proper resource management and expanding financial knowhow are suggested to achieve cooperative sustainability

The Fusarium oxysporum gnt2, Encoding a Putative NAcetylglucosamine Transferase, Is Involved in Cell Wall Architecture and Virulence

With the aim to decipher the molecular dialogue and cross talk between Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersci and its host during infection and to understand the molecular bases that govern fungal pathogenicity, we analysed genes presumably encoding N-acetylglucosaminyl transferases, involved in glycosylation of glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans or small molecule acceptors in other microorganisms. In silico analysis revealed the existence of seven putative N-glycosyl transferase encoding genes (named gnt) in F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici genome. gnt2 deletion mutants showed a dramatic reduction in virulence on both plant and animal hosts. Δgnt2 mutants had αalterations in cell wall properties related to terminal αor β-linked N-acetyl glucosamine. Mutant conidia and germlings also showed differences in structure and physicochemical surface properties. Conidial and hyphal aggregation differed between the mutant and wild type strains, in a pH independent manner. Transmission electron micrographs of germlings showed strong cell-to-cell adherence and the presence of an extracellular chemical matrix. Δgnt2 cell walls presented a significant reduction in N-linked oligosaccharides, suggesting the involvement of Gnt2 in N-glycosylation of cell wall proteins. Gnt2 was localized in Golgi-like sub-cellular compartments as determined by fluorescence microscopy of GFP::Gnt2 fusion protein after treatment with the antibiotic brefeldin A or by staining with fluorescent sphingolipid BODIPY-TR ceramide. Furthermore, density gradient ultracentrifugation allowed colocalization of GFP::Gnt2 fusion protein and Vps10p in subcellular fractions enriched in Golgi specific enzymatic activities. Our results suggest that N-acetylglucosaminyl transferases are key components for cell wall structure and influence interactions of F. oxysporum with both plant and animal hosts during pathogenicity

Microorganisms on surface culture of injection port of IV sets and its implication to infection control

Nosocomial infection is a disease caused by a pathogenic agent that is acquired during a patient’s hospitalization or treatment inside another health care facility. The said infection can be caused by microorganisms. These microorganisms may already be present in the patient's body or may come from the environment, contaminated hospital equipment; An intravenous (IV) set used during IV therapy is one example of the possible materials containing these microorganisms. The main purpose of this study is to determine the presence of microorganisms on injections ports of IV sets before and after disinfection whenadministering IV medications in the patients admitted to the medicine wards of Hospital X and Y. Presence of microorganisms despite disinfection may pose risk to patients through the entry of bacteria upon injection through the port. Thirty swab samples were obtained from each hospital. Swab samples were then isolated on nutrient agar plates. Hospital Y samples yielded no bacterial isolates whereas all 30 samples in Hospital X showed bacterial isolates. Swab samples underwent gram-staining to distinguish between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Streptococcus species and Staphylococcus species which are classified as grampositive bacteria were among the bacterial species identified before and after disinfection and were found on all the samples obtained from Hospital X. Based on the findings of this study, adherence to infection controlprocedures were not well established to reduce or eliminate microorganisms on injection ports in Hospital X that may cause Nosocomial infections. In line with these, it is highly recommended that proper infection control and maintenance procedures should be strictly enforced to reduce, if not eliminate themicroorganisms on injection port which are possible causes of Nosocomial infections and may threaten thempatients’ healt

E-Learning Games Enjoyment to Pupils’ Learning Behaviors in Mathematics Classroom

One of the hardest courses for students to grasp is mathematics, yet it’s a crucial ability to have. In order to figure out why students behave in a certain way when studying mathematics, researchers must look for the factors that influence their behaviors. This study helped by presenting the Grade 6 students’ learning behaviors in mathematics and their enjoyment of e-learning games. With thirty (30) grade six students as respondents to the adapted-modified survey questionnaire, the study’s objectives for the academic year 2021–2022 were successfully met through the descriptive-correlational research design and purposive sampling technique. The findings demonstrate a positive significant relationship between interest, confidence, motivation, and usefulness that is consistent with students’ learning behavior in mathematics and the enjoyment of e-learning games in terms of concentration, goal clarity, feedback, challenge, autonomy, immersion, social interaction, and knowledge improvement. Findings showed that e-learning games were helpful at increasing students’ interest in the subject. This means that using e-learning games as a good teaching tool can help to enhance and enhance students’ learning behavior. Taking into account the limitations on a specific subject, the study suggests further scrutiny on the enjoyment of e-Learning games as applied in other disciplines