Editorial Essay

The word nomad, etymologically from the Greek word for pasture, evokes images of a pastoral landscape, a culture that relocates periodically, and suggests also that people's movement might occur in accordance with "rhythms of the landscape." Nomadic cultures, particularly those which survive today in the face of increasing cultural homogeneity, have long held a fascination for more settled cultures. NOMAD is not however, an anthropological investigation of differing nomadic cultures and their representation. Rather, the use of nomad as a theme for this issue provides the opportunity to conceive of the idea of nomad more broadly through themes of travel, movement, memory, displacement, imposition of boundaries and ideas about home, Diaspora and belonging. The nomad is at once the versatile intellectual, the wandering revolutionary, the environmental studies student, the cyber junky, the canoe tripper, and so on.&nbsp

Psychological Contract Breach and Performance of Faculty Members of BatStateU: Input to Faculty Development Program

In the Philippines, heavy use of contractual faculty continues. Campus administrators need a more comprehensive understanding of how to best manage this type of employment relationship (Marlier, 2014). This study aimed to determine how full-time contractual faculty members perceived Psychological Contract Breach (PCB) and its relationship to the assessment of their performance to provide appropriate input to the Institutionalized Faculty Development Program. Psychological Contract Breach and Performance were the major variables in the study. PCB was measured using the thirteen factors from Knoppe (2012). Performance was measured using three factors from faculty members’ IPCR. The respondents of the study included 229 full-time contractual faculty members of Batangas State University. The statistical tools used were frequency, percentage, weighted mean, Pearson r, ANOVA, and t-test. Results suggested that statistically, PCB had a significant relationship to Performance of full-time contractual faculty members in some of its factors. Moreover, significant differences are found in most of the profile variables when compared to PCB. On the contrary, most of the profile variables when compared to performance are not significantly different. Analysis also showed that despite the contractual appointment, the respondents perceived that the University provides enough rewards that satisfy them

Design and Development of an Incident Reporting Mobile Application

Reporting actual incidents through short messaging systems and telephone calls are tedious,prone to errors and misinterpretations. Developing a mobile application that can be utilized totransmit incident type, location, and images among other details can provide assistance inemergency situations. The software development method followed in this study was theprototyping model, where initial versions of the software were shown to the end users for it tobe refined to their needs. The target users of the mobile application are a group of 38Adventist motorcycle riders from Silang, Cavite, Philippines who are trained to be firstresponders. Interviews with end users and benchmarking on related systems were conductedto meet results. The end users’ feedback on the developed application can be summarized ashaving high accuracy, less prone to errors, and ease-of-use. Through Global PositioningSystems available on modern smart phones, reporting a specific incident location can be asaccurate as within five meters. The report receiver can view the location in a map.Minimizing text entry and utilizing control elements not only improve reporting time but alsoreduce chances of committing errors. Further, the application can provide map location andcontact information of the emergency facilities near the incident site. Reported information isalso centrally stored for references to improve response processes. Once substantial data isgathered from this system, it can be data-mined to predict possible hotspots, peak times andother information on the occurrences of incidents. To implement the system to a largergeographical territory, the proponents suggest employing artificial intelligence which canautomatically identify and request help from the nearest possible medical facilities

Optimization of Cavendish Banana Flour Production

Flour is one value-added product that can be produced from off-grade Cavendish banana that otherwise goes to waste. This study evaluated the effect of anti-browning treatments and drying methods on flour quality. The browning Index (BI) and total phenolic content (TPC) of unpeeled unripe banana flour (UUBF) and peeled unripe banana flour (PUBF) from bananas soaked in 0% (control), 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% citric acid (CA) and ascorbic acid (AA) were measured. Likewise, functional properties of oven- and freeze-dried flours were evaluated. The BI of UUBF treated with 0.5% CA and 0.5% AA was significantly lower than that of the control. Meanwhile, PUBF samples treated with CA and AA were not significantly different from the control. TPC was highest in 0.3% and 0.5% AA-treated UUBF (31.39 and 31.20 mg GAE/g, respectively) and in 0.5% AA and 0.3% CA-treated PUBF (19.22 and 19.30 mg GAE/g). As to drying method, freeze-drying produced significantly lighter colored flour, higher water and oil absorption capacity (173.55%, and 86.05%), and lower solubility (6.73%). Both treatments had similar effects on swelling power and syneresis tendency. The flours also had comparable resistant starch (77.46%–82.67%) and total starch (88.15%–93.09%) contents. From these results, the use of 0.5% CA or 0.5% AA is recommended for UUBF production to lessen browning, but these may or may not be used for PUBF production. Moreover, the freeze-drying method is recommended for banana flour production if light color and high absorption capacities are the desired qualities; otherwise, the conventional and less expensive oven-drying method can be used

A Systematic Review on the Effects of L-theanine and Caffeine Combination on Human Mood and Cognition

Caffeine is one of the most widely ingested psychoactive drugs in the world. However, this central nervous system stimulant has raised concerns because of its inauspicious effects on health that come with its overconsumption. Recent scientific advancements have allowed for the theoretical regulation of these side effects through the combination of caffeine and Ltheanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and improves mental function. This minireview aims to extend current knowledge by synthesizing both beneficial and detrimental effects of the administration of the combination of caffeine and L-theanine to the human brain and cognition. Information was extensively reviewed, analyzed, and compiled from a sample of 50 works of literature published from 2014 to 2020 in the DLSU Library Databases, as well as referenced studies excluded from the given timeframe that contain highly relevant information that help structuralize the review. Dosage was found to be important in attaining benefits on mood and cognition such as suppressed anxiety and stress, positive mental state, neurochemically fostered changes in neurotransmitter systems, improved accuracy, improved semantic and recognition memory, and heightened mental alertness. On the other hand, Ltheanine was found to reduce arousal more than it regulates elevated emotions caused by caffeine while some literature found that induced cognitive effects were only independent for each substance. In summary, existing studies support the hypothesis that the combination benefits human mood and cognition. As such, future research may gear towards a build-up on knowledge and innovations on the topic

Latent Tuberculosis and Active Tuberculosis Disease Rates among the Homeless, New York, New York, USA, 1992–2006

We conducted a retrospective study to examine trends in latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and TB disease rates among homeless persons in shelters in New York, NY, 1992–2006. Although TB case rates fell from 1,502/100,000 population to 0, a 31% LTBI rate in 2006 shows the value of identifying and treating TB in the homeless

Active Tuberculosis among Homeless Persons, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1998–2007

While tuberculosis (TB) in Canadian cities is increasingly affecting foreign-born persons, homeless persons remain at high risk. To assess trends in TB, we studied all homeless persons in Toronto who had a diagnosis of active TB during 1998–2007. We compared Canada-born and foreign-born homeless persons and assessed changes over time. We identified 91 homeless persons with active TB; they typically had highly contagious, advanced disease, and 19% died within 12 months of diagnosis. The proportion of homeless persons who were foreign-born increased from 24% in 1998–2002 to 39% in 2003–2007. Among foreign-born homeless persons with TB, 56% of infections were caused by strains not known to circulate among homeless persons in Toronto. Only 2% of infections were resistant to first-line TB medications. The rise in foreign-born homeless persons with TB strains likely acquired overseas suggests that the risk for drug-resistant strains entering the homeless shelter system may be escalating

Unsuspected and extensive transmission of a drug-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A large and unsuspected tuberculosis outbreak involving 18.7% of the total of the tuberculosis cases studied, was detected in a population-based molecular epidemiological study performed in Zaragoza (Spain) from 2001 to 2004.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>drug-susceptible strain, named <it>MTZ </it>strain, was genetically characterized by IS<it>6110</it>-RFLP, Spoligotyping and by MIRU-VNTR typing and the genetic patterns obtained were compared with those included in international databases. The characteristics of the affected patients, in an attempt to understand why the <it>MTZ </it>strain was so highly transmitted among the population were also analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genetic profile of the <it>MTZ </it>strain was rare and not widely distributed in our area or elsewhere. The patients affected did not show any notable risk factor for TB.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The <it>M. tuberculosis </it>strain <it>MTZ</it>, might have particular transmissibility or virulence properties, and we believe that greater focus should be placed on stopping its widespread dissemination.</p

太陽エネルギー変換及び貯蔵用表面修飾金属酸化物ナノファイバー及び薄膜に関する研究

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(エネルギー科学)甲第17911号エネ博第283号新制||エネ||59(附属図書館)30731京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー基礎科学専攻(主査)教授 佐川 尚, 教授 八尾 健, 教授 石原 慶一学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Energy ScienceKyoto UniversityDGA