THE IMPACT OF ALGEBRA AND TRIGONOMETRY TO CALCULUS PERFORMANCE

The study aims to determine the impact of Algebra and Trigonometry to the students’ performance in Calculus. To achieve this objective, the researcher considered the following: (1) identification of the major topics in Differential Calculus and Integral Calculus with the respective applications of Algebra and Trigonometry; (2) computation of the coefficients of correlation to determine the relationship of the students’ performance in the Pre-Calculus and Calculus courses; and (3) documentation of the significant findings of related investigations conducted in different countries. One hundred (100) engineering students participated in the study where final grades in Algebra, Trigonometry, Differential Calculus and Integral Calculus were elicited from them. The results of the study confirmed what the researchers of previous studies assumed that the deficiencies in Algebra and Trigonometry skills continue to impact adversely to Calculus students. The low rating of the students in Calculus was seen to be attributed to the poor performance in the pre-requisite subjects. As documented from related investigations, it is further concluded that students generally lack both conceptual and procedural understanding of Calculus because of the observed deficiencies in their mathematical content knowledge in the Pre-Calculus courses

Development and evaluation of a professional development program on designing participatory action research projects for basic education teachers

Anchored on Evans’ professional development (PD) model, this study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a professional development program on designing participatory action research (PAR) projects for basic education teachers. The teachers are from Junior and Senior High School teaching English, Mathematics, and Science. The PD program consisted of ten in-person training sessions and virtual consultations which happened in between training on AR problem conceptualization and methodology for a 14-week period. Using the mixed-methods sequential explanatory (QUAN à qual) design, the study started with a professional needs assessment participated by 18 teachers from a secondary school as a basis for the planned PD program. The teachers underwent training sessions to develop a group or participatory AR proposal as evidence of their professional growth and program outcome. At the end of the program, the English, Mathematics, and Science teachers, respectively, developed and presented their AR proposals on the (a) design and evaluation of a gamified-based instruction towards improving vocabulary skill, (b) video-based instruction in teaching basic concepts of probability, and (c) investigating the effect of contextualized learning materials in developing students’ conceptual understanding of atoms. The post-assessment results, supported by interviews, revealed that the teachers displayed behavioural, attitudinal, and intellectual developments in AR. Based on the Department of Education’s criteria for evaluating PAR proposals, all three proposals were rated acceptable for implementation by a panel of evaluators. In conclusion, the PD design and evaluation framework were important factors that enabled the participating teachers to transform their AR competencies toward developing PAR proposals for improving teaching and research in their schools

Land-use change to bioenergy: grassland to short rotation coppice willow has an improved carbon balance

The effect of a transition from grassland to second-generation (2G) bioenergy on soil carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) balance is uncertain, with limited empirical data on which to validate landscape-scale models, sustainability criteria and energy policies. Here, we quantified soil carbon, soil GHG emissions and whole ecosystem carbon balance for short rotation coppice (SRC) bioenergy willow and a paired grassland site, both planted at commercial scale. We quantified the carbon balance for a 2-year period and captured the effects of a commercial harvest in the SRC willow at the end of the first cycle. Soil fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) did not contribute significantly to the GHG balance of these land uses. Soil respiration was lower in SRC willow (912 ± 42 g C m−2 yr−1) than in grassland (1522 ± 39 g C m−2 yr−1). Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) reflected this with the grassland a net source of carbon with mean NEE of 119 ± 10 g C m−2 yr−1 and SRC willow a net sink, −620 ± 18 g C m−2 yr−1. When carbon removed from the ecosystem in harvested products was considered (Net Biome Productivity), SRC willow remained a net sink (221 ± 66 g C m−2 yr−1). Despite the SRC willow site being a net sink for carbon, soil carbon stocks (0–30 cm) were higher under the grassland. There was a larger NEE and increase in ecosystem respiration in the SRC willow after harvest; however, the site still remained a carbon sink. Our results indicate that once established, significant carbon savings are likely in SRC willow compared with the minimally managed grassland at this site. Although these observed impacts may be site and management dependent, they provide evidence that land-use transition to 2G bioenergy has potential to provide a significant improvement on the ecosystem service of climate regulation relative to grassland systems

Soil nitrous oxide flux following land‐use reversion from Miscanthus and SRC willow to perennial ryegrass

Decarbonization of the world's energy supply is essential to meet the targets of the 2016 Paris climate change agreement. One promising opportunity is the utilization of second generation, low input bioenergy crops such as Miscanthus and Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow. Research has previously been carried out on the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of growing these feedstocks and land-use changes involved in converting conventional cropland to their production; however, there is almost no body of work understanding the costs associated with their end of life transitions back to conventional crops. It is likely that it is during crop interventions and land-use transitions that significant GHG fluxes might occur. Therefore, in this study, we investigated soil GHG fluxes over 82 weeks during transition from Miscanthus and SRC willow into perennial ryegrass in west Wales, UK. This study captured soil GHG fluxes at a weekly time step, alongside monthly changes in soil nitrogen and labile carbon and reports the results of regression modelling of suspected drivers. Methane fluxes were typically trivial; however, nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were notably affected, reverted plots produced significantly more N2O than retained controls and Miscanthus produced significantly higher fluxes overall than willow plots. N2O costs of reversion appeared to be contained within the first year of reversion when the Miscanthus plots produced an average pregrass flux of 0.13 mg N2O m−2 hr−1 while for willow, this was 0.03 mg N2O m−2 hr−1. Total N2O emission from reversion increased the carbon cost over the lifetime of the Miscanthus from 6.50 to 9.91 Mg CO2 eq. ha−1 while for the willow, this increase was from 9.61 to 10.42 Mg CO2 eq. ha−1. Despite these significant increases, the carbon cost of energy contained in these perennial crops remained far lower than the equivalent carbon cost of energy in coal. © 2018 The Authors. GCB Bioenergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Willow short-rotation production systems in Canada and Northern United States: A review

Willow short rotation coppice (SRC) systems are becoming an attractive practice because they are a sustainable system fulfilling multiple ecological objectives with significant environmental benefits. A sustainable supply of bioenergy feedstock can be produced by willow on marginal land using well-adapted or tolerant cultivars. Across Canada and northern U.S.A., there are millions of hectares of available degraded land that have the potential for willow SRC biomass production, with a C sequestration potential capable of offsetting appreciable amount of anthropogenic green-house gas emissions. A fundamental question concerning 1 sustainable SRC willow yields was whether long-term soil productivity is maintained within a multi-rotation SRC system, given the rapid growth rate and associated nutrient exports offsite when harvesting the willow biomass after repeated short rotations. Based on early results from the first willow SRC rotation, it was found willow systems are relatively low nutrient-demanding, with minimal nutrient output other than in harvested biomass. The overall aim of this manuscript is to summarize the literature and present findings and data from ongoing research trials across Canada and northern U.S.A. examining willow SRC system establishment and viability. The research areas of interest presented here are the crop production of willow SRC systems, above- and below-ground biomass dynamics and the C budget, comprehensive soil-willow system nutrient budget, and soil nutrient amendments (via fertilization) in willow SRC systems. Areas of existing research gaps were also identified for the Canadian context

An empirical study on the determinants of tax morale using structural equation model (SEM): A Philippine particularity

Tax morale can be determined through economic, political and demographic indicators. As such, this paper investigates the effect of tax enforcement and trust in government moderated by demographic characteristics on the tax morale of firms in the Philippines. Using the data taken from the database of Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), 865 firms were analyzed through partial least squares on structural equation of modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that trust in government has a positive relationship with tax morale unlike tax enforcement. Also, organizational form and location demonstrate a negative relationship to the firms tax morale. Thus, the study concludes that the tax morale of firms in the Philippines can be heavily determined by trust in government while sole proprietorship businesses as compared to corporations, and firms in Metro Manila in contrast to firms outside have low tax morales

Determinants of tax morale using structural equation model (SEM)

This paper analyzes the impact of tax enforcement, trust in government, and demographic characteristics on the tax morale of firms in the Philippines. From the database of Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), 864 firms were taken and analyzed using partial least squares on the structural equation of modeling (PLS-SEM). In the analysis, only trust in government, organizational form, and firm location provided a significant impact to tax morale. Thus, firms pay taxes religiously when the government acts trustworthily. On the other hand, sole proprietorship and Metro Manila firms exhibited lower tax morale as compared to corporations and outside capital city entities. The government should enhance the delivery of services as well as eliminate corruption to improve the firm’s tax compliance

Nearshore Wave Energy Resource Assessment for Off-Grid Islands: A Case Study in Cuyo Island, Palawan, Philippines

Electrifying off-grid and isolated islands in the Philippines remains one of the challenges that hinders community development, and one of the solutions seen to ensure energy security, energy access and promote a low-carbon future is the use of renewable energy sources. This study determines the nearshore wave energy resource during monsoon seasons in Cuyo Island using a 40-year wave hindcast and 8-year on-site wind speed data as inputs to develop a high-resolution wave energy model using SWAN and assesses its annual energy production through matching with wave energy devices. The results show that the average significant wave height (Hs), peak period (Tp) and wave power density (Pd) during a northeast monsoon are Hs = 1.35 m, Tp = 4.79 s and Pd = 4.05 kW/m, respectively, while a southwest monsoon, which is sheltered by the mainland, results in Hs = 0.52 m, Tp = 3.37 s and Pd = 0.34 kW/m. While the simulated model was observed to overestimate the significant wave height (bias = 0.398, RMSE = 0.54 and SI = 1.34), it has a strong relationship with the “observed values” (average r = 0.9). The annual energy production for Wave Dragon, Archimedes Wave Swing and Seawave Slot-Cone Generator are highest at 1970.6 MWh, 2462.04 MWh, 62.424 MWh and 4099.23 MWh, respectively

Nearshore Wave Energy Resource Assessment for Off-Grid Islands: A Case Study in Cuyo Island, Palawan, Philippines

Electrifying off-grid and isolated islands in the Philippines remains one of the challenges that hinders community development, and one of the solutions seen to ensure energy security, energy access and promote a low-carbon future is the use of renewable energy sources. This study determines the nearshore wave energy resource during monsoon seasons in Cuyo Island using a 40-year wave hindcast and 8-year on-site wind speed data as inputs to develop a high-resolution wave energy model using SWAN and assesses its annual energy production through matching with wave energy devices. The results show that the average significant wave height (Hs), peak period (Tp) and wave power density (Pd) during a northeast monsoon are Hs = 1.35 m, Tp = 4.79 s and Pd = 4.05 kW/m, respectively, while a southwest monsoon, which is sheltered by the mainland, results in Hs = 0.52 m, Tp = 3.37 s and Pd = 0.34 kW/m. While the simulated model was observed to overestimate the significant wave height (bias = 0.398, RMSE = 0.54 and SI = 1.34), it has a strong relationship with the “observed values” (average r = 0.9). The annual energy production for Wave Dragon, Archimedes Wave Swing and Seawave Slot-Cone Generator are highest at 1970.6 MWh, 2462.04 MWh, 62.424 MWh and 4099.23 MWh, respectively