SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE MARITIME EDUCATION UPGRADING PROGRAM

This study endeavored to determine the impact of the Maritime Education Upgrading Program of PIT-KVNR on the socio-economic status of its graduates from school years 2002-2003 to 2007-2008. A descriptive-comparative approach design was used with two groups of respondents and total sample size of 296. It was found out that, before these graduates entered the program, the socio-economic status between parents of the two groups of marine transportation graduates-respondents were already significantly different, while there was no significant difference in the socio-economic status between parents of the two groups of marine engineering graduates-respondents. Furthermore, there were significant differences between groups of marine transportation and marine engineering graduates-respondents on their socio-economic status after they graduated from the program. Moreover, results revealed that the socio-economic status of graduates from all groups of respondents have greatly improved over a short span of time after they graduated from the program. On the other hand, the respondents from both groups also accounted the extent of performance of the Maritime Education Upgrading Program as providing opportunities for the respondents to achieve performance ranging from higher to highest level.&nbsp

PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTES OF DECK AND ENGINE CADETS ONBOARD DUTCH MERCHANT SHIPS

This study was conducted to determine the attributes that influenced the performances of the deck and engine cadets of the Palompon Institute of Technology (PIT) during their apprenticeship training onboard Dutch ships. The study was a descriptive-survey method utilizing a standardized survey instrument provided in the Quality Management System of the Institute’s College of Maritime Education. The subjects considered were deck and engine cadets who were onboard Dutch ships for their 1 year apprenticeship training. While deck and engine management level officers were the respondents. Results revealed the performances of the cadets were highly influenced by the associated attributes as regards “Personal Qualities” and “Professional Knowledge and Skills.” Moreover, as regards to “Outlook/Expectations”, majority of deck and engine cadets were expected able to perform their tasks independently as ship’s officers upon completion of the onboard training period of one year; while there were few from both groups that were expected able to perform his/her task independently as ship’s officer only after an additional on board training period. Furthermore, it was found out the academic performance of the deck cadets was satisfactory with high grades while the engine cadets with less satisfactory. Finally, the relationship between the performance attributes and academic performance in both groups of respondents were established.&nbsp

Survey on the Phenotypic Variability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common autosomal recessive genetic disorders, resulting in faulty chloride ion channels in the lungs. As a result, the lungs are severely compromised with viscous secretions leading to chronic and repeated infections, and the colonization of a diverse microbial community. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the primary pathogens in the CF lung and prior research has demonstrated a high degree of phenotypic heterogeneity among adult isolates in comparison to control strains. This study has two aims: First, the creation of an open repository of sputum and isolates collected from the Oklahoma Cystic Fibrosis clinic in Oklahoma City, OK to serve as a resource for research groups to use in polymicrobial studies. Second, the assay for a number of virulence factors using a subset of P. aeruginosa CF isolates recovered from two patients in each age category: children (under 13), adolescents (13-18), and adults (over 18). The collected repository includes sputum samples from 57 patients demonstrating a wide range of recoverable growth and a broad diversity of observed colony morphologies on nutrient and selective media. Thirty isolates per patient were assayed for surface motility (swim, swarm, and twitch) and production of hydrogen cyanide, biosurfactant, casein proteases, elastases, siderophores, and fluorescent pigments. P. aeruginosa isolates from most patients showed a high degree of consistency in producing hydrogen cyanide, fluorescent pigments, casein proteases, elastases, siderophores, and biosurfactant. There was, however, variability seen in the different surface motilities of isolates between the different age groups. These results provide insights to the variability of P. aeruginosa between age groups and confirm differences between P. aeruginosa isolated from newly infected CF patients and those chronically infected for many years. Further characterization and deeper understanding of the polymicrobial community in the CF lung are required to improve clinical diagnosis and treatment.Microbiology, Cell, & Molecular Biolog

Improving shoestring surveys for off-grid humanitarian power projects : kilowatts for humanity and KoboCollect

Field surveys are commonplace and essential for off-grid power projects in developing countries where availability of data may be scarce. Critical decisions such as site selection, technology choice, business models employed, and approach to community engagement are all greatly assisted by data that can be gathered through field surveys. Paper-based field surveys, the de facto standard approach, are prone to error, slow to deploy and adjust, and have other practical challenges despite the obvious advantage of having fewer technological dependencies. Over recent years, improvement in freely available surveying software, smartphones and tablets, as well as good cellular coverage throughout the world offers humanitarian organizations an opportunity to implement digital field surveys with relative ease. This article presents the experience implementing KoboCollect by Kilowatts for Humanity (KWH), a non-profit that implements sustainable energy kiosks in developing countries. KoboCollect is an open-source data collection software platform designed to support humanitarian and research organizations. In this paper, limitations of paper-based field surveys from previous KWH projects, as well as from the extant literature, are considered with respect to their ultimate impact on the implementation of the development project. A new approach is presented in which survey questions are refined based on past experience and are directly related to pre-defined project indicators. Key benefits and challenges are identified from the adoption of the new approach and methodological questions around sampling and decision-making following data collection are discussed. The new method is discussed in the context of a KWH survey project being conducted in the summer of 2018 in three locations in the Philippines. A major goal of this work is to open a discussion about the successes and failures of the shoestring, paper-based survey methodology and point to current best practices

Urban coral reefs: Degradation and resilience of hard coral assemblages in coastal cities of East and Southeast Asia

© 2018 The Author(s) Given predicted increases in urbanization in tropical and subtropical regions, understanding the processes shaping urban coral reefs may be essential for anticipating future conservation challenges. We used a case study approach to identify unifying patterns of urban coral reefs and clarify the effects of urbanization on hard coral assemblages. Data were compiled from 11 cities throughout East and Southeast Asia, with particular focus on Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Naha (Okinawa). Our review highlights several key characteristics of urban coral reefs, including “reef compression” (a decline in bathymetric range with increasing turbidity and decreasing water clarity over time and relative to shore), dominance by domed coral growth forms and low reef complexity, variable city-specific inshore-offshore gradients, early declines in coral cover with recent fluctuating periods of acute impacts and rapid recovery, and colonization of urban infrastructure by hard corals. We present hypotheses for urban reef community dynamics and discuss potential of ecological engineering for corals in urban areas

One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts

The conservation status of 845 zooxanthellate reef-building coral species was assessed by using International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Criteria. Of the 704 species that could be assigned conservation status, 32.8% are in categories with elevated risk of extinction. Declines in abundance are associated with bleaching and diseases driven by elevated sea surface temperatures, with extinction risk further exacerbated by local-scale anthropogenic disturbances. The proportion of corals threatened with extinction has increased dramatically in recent decades and exceeds that of most terrestrial groups. The Caribbean has the largest proportion of corals in high extinction risk categories, whereas the Coral Triangle (western Pacific) has the highest proportion of species in all categories of elevated extinction risk. Our results emphasize the widespread plight of coral reefs and the urgent need to enact conservation measures