The real threats to national security and constitutional rights: the Philippines after September 11, 2001

State terror in Asia has long been used to fight what governments have unilaterally declared as terror. Wars and counterinsurgency have long been pursued as a strategy against terrorism in Asia, and the war against terrorism has always been made an excuse by states to promote militarist and authoritarian dictatorships supporting Western expansionist, strategic and economic objectives. Today, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the subsequent declaration by the United States of a global war on terrorism has created a pretext for governments to extend and justify the use of draconian national security laws and measures to suppress movements for democracy and human rights. The common features of such laws and actionspast and present-- include: · arbitrary detention without charge or trial; · the criminalization of communities, organizations and individuals by labeling them as terrorist; · the undermining of due process; · the reinforcement of repressive practices, including torture, by state authorities; · restrictions on freedom of movement and return to asylum; · the intensification of all forms of racism and discrimination--including those based on gender, caste and religion--against migrants, refugees and minorities; and · the invasion of privacy through activities like increased surveillance. In responding to perceived threats to national security, the security of individuals, communities and societies are often neglected by the state. There is no mention of the terrorism of poverty which, as Aruna Gnanadason, head of the Justice and Peace Unit of the World Council of Churches, notes, kills more people than any war. It is a form of terrorism that is often neglected, especially in the present era where neo-liberal globalization has worsened the conditions of the already marginalized peoples of the world. Neo-liberal economic policies have resulted in the erosion of Asian peoples standards of living and created structural inequality, insecurity, tensions and conflict brought about by the yawning gap between the rich and the poor. Social injustice and inequities, including state policies that exacerbate poverty, unemployment, landless-ness and lack of social services, are the No. 1 recruiters and breeding ground for so-called terrorists. Thus, when people face severe threats to livelihood, rights and living standards that have been greatly eroded by neo-liberal globalization (it used to be colonialism and feudal oppression), their protests and demands, particularly when voiced by peoples movements, are treated as security threats by the state. The state increases its reliance on the use of force through police/armies that inflict violence on the people. The exercise of state violence is even legalized and justified through national security laws that are meant to establish order. As more and more people resist and seek alternatives to the dehumanizing world order resulting from the policies and practices of neo-liberal globalization, there is a need to widen the democratic space, not restrict it or shrink it further. In this situation, more democratic space is needed for the expression of grievances. Oftentimes, however, the peoples mass organizations, social movements, labor unions, grassroots citizens groups and non-government organizations that articulate peoples demands and alternatives, become the targets of anti-terrorist legislation. Militarism and the adoption and use of draconian laws and measures as a reaction to peoples demands have often been resorted to by states under the garb of curbing terrorism

Internet Access Practices and Employee Attitudes toward Internet Usage Policy Implementation in Selected Philippines Financial Institutions

This study explores the employees’ concept of appropriate use of Internet facilities as well as their perception of the rights and liabilities, both of the individual and of the organization, associated with the grant of Internet access privileges in the workplace. It further examines how employees perceive their organization’s monitoring of employees online activities and the use of an Internet Usage Policy, whether these are seen as monitoring and control mechanisms or as ways to ensure that Internet access facilities are shared equitably and used responsibly. While the issue of the impact of Internet access on employee productivity will not directly be tackled, the study will provide insights into the frequency and type of usage of Internet facilities in the workplace. Considering the sizeable investment that an organization makes to provide Internet facilities, determining how employees use these facilities to achieve the goals of the organization is, in the very least, interesting and for most organizations concerned with their survival in difficult times, critically important

Psychophysiology of slow breathing exercises using heart rate variability measurements for stress reduction

Slow breathing exercises, associated with meditation and other eastern style modalities like tai chi and hatha yoga, are now increasingly employed in mainstream medicine to reduce stress, attenuate moderate hypertension, and alleviate symptoms of lifestyle-related illnesses. The clinical literature on slow breathing exercises includes studies employing various physiological measurements, including heart rate variability (HRV), galvanic skin response, and changes in skin temperature. HRV has been increasingly used to measure the activity of the autonomic nervous system in various human studies employing healthy and chronically ill subjects. 1. Objective: To understand the effects of slow breathing exercises on heart rate variability as a complementary intervention for stress reduction. 2. Method: Four subjects, through repetitive trials, were instructed to slow down their breathing following a metronome at 10 breaths per minute or 6 breaths per minute or spontaneously relax to slow down their respiratory rate. The ECG, heart rate, and respiratory rate were recorded using a Powerlab set-up (ADI). 3. Key Results:  Results showed an increase in amplitude of heart rate variability during these slow breathing exercises, either through the metronome-guided or spontaneous slow-breathing exercises, especially around a breathing frequency of 6 breaths per minute. The increased amplitude of heart rate variability can be seen as a positive sign, a marker for sympathovagal balance. 4. Conclusion: HRV measurements have shown that slow breathing exercises can increase heart rate variability.  Future protocols for clinical trials are being projected using the HRV technique and other physiological measurements for studying effects of yoga-based complementary interventions for stress reduction

Knowledge, attitudes, and related practices of Filipino seafarers regarding cardiovascular diseases

Background: Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of mortality. Due to the nature of their work and lifestyle on board, Filipino seafarers have a high propensity towards acquiring CVD. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to CVD of Filipino seafarers. Materials and methods: This study utilised a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 136 male seafarers who went into a private general hospital for their pre-employment medical examination. Results: Eating fatty foods (77.0%), cigarette smoking (68.4%) and lack of exercise (65.4%) were identified by the respondents as the top three most common risk factors for CVD. Avoiding fatty or oily foods (85.3%) and exercising regularly (83.1%) were identified by the respondents as preventive measures for CVD. High blood pressure and shortness of breath were identified by more than half of the respondents as a sign and symptom of CVD, respectively. But the respondents failed to identify other equally important signs and symptoms. Majority of the respondents (> 80%) had high level of perception with respect to the six constructs of the health belief model. Some respondents had admitted engagement in risk-taking behaviours such as smoking (36.0%) and physical inactivity (27.2%). Majority were into high fat and salt diet (70.6%) and current alcohol consumption (79.4%). Conclusions: Although the respondents had favourable attitudes towards CVD, there were knowledge gaps in risk factors, preventive measures, and recognition of signs and symptoms. Hence, some were still engaging in risk-taking behaviours such as smoking, irregular involvement in physical activity, unbalanced diet, and alcohol intake.

Analyzing and Forecasting Movements of the Philippine Economy using the Dynamic Factor Models (DFM)

The country’s small and open economy is vulnerable to both internal and external shocks. Is it therefore important for policy makers to have timely forecasts on the movement of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), whether it will increase or decrease in the current quarter, to be able to guide them in coming up with appropriate policies to mitigate say, the impact of a shock. The current method used to forecast the movements of the GDP is the composite Leading Economic Indicators System (LEIS) developed by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). The LEIS, using 11 economic indicators, provides one-quarter forecast of the movement of the GDP. This paper presents an alternative, and perhaps better, procedure to the LEIS in nowcasting the movements of the GDP using the Dynamic Factor Model (DFM). The idea behind the DFM is the stylized fact that economic movements evolve in a cycle and are correlated with co-movements in a large number of economic series. The DFM is a commonly used data reduction procedure that assumes economic shocks driving economic activity arise from unobserved components or factors. The DFM aims to parsimoniously summarize information from a large number of economic series to a small number of unobserved factors. The DFM assumes that co-movements of economic series can be captured using these unobserved common factors. This paper used 31 monthly economic indicators in capturing a common factor to nowcast movements of GDP via the DFM. The results show that the common factor produced by the DFM performed better in capturing the movements of the GDP when compared with the LEIS. The DFM is a promising and useful methodology in extracting indicators of the country’s economic activity

Analyzing and Forecasting Movements of the Philippine Economy using the Dynamic Factor Models (DFM)

The country’s small and open economy is vulnerable to both internal and external shocks. Is it therefore important for policy makers to have timely forecasts on the movement of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), whether it will increase or decrease in the current quarter, to be able to guide them in coming up with appropriate policies to mitigate say, the impact of a shock. The current method used to forecast the movements of the GDP is the composite Leading Economic Indicators System (LEIS) developed by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). The LEIS, using 11 economic indicators, provides one-quarter forecast of the movement of the GDP. This paper presents an alternative, and perhaps better, procedure to the LEIS in nowcasting the movements of the GDP using the Dynamic Factor Model (DFM). The idea behind the DFM is the stylized fact that economic movements evolve in a cycle and are correlated with co-movements in a large number of economic series. The DFM is a commonly used data reduction procedure that assumes economic shocks driving economic activity arise from unobserved components or factors. The DFM aims to parsimoniously summarize information from a large number of economic series to a small number of unobserved factors. The DFM assumes that co-movements of economic series can be captured using these unobserved common factors. This paper used 31 monthly economic indicators in capturing a common factor to nowcast movements of GDP via the DFM. The results show that the common factor produced by the DFM performed better in capturing the movements of the GDP when compared with the LEIS. The DFM is a promising and useful methodology in extracting indicators of the country’s economic activity

INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR MINORITY YOUTH THROUGH THE FIT2PLAY PROGRAM BASED IN COMMUNITY PARKS IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

The social determinant of health of neighborhood and built environment is the influence of a community’s structure on the health of a community. Healthy People 2030 has recognized a need to increase the proportion of children who achieve the recommended amount of daily physical activity. We propose a strategy to implement the Fit2Play Program to increase physical activity for students in Durham County Parks. Fit2Play was first introduced in Miami-Dade County parks and has shown evidence that participating in regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Participants also showed improved health and wellness knowledge. We aim to increase daily physical activity within youth of color in Durham County in order to prevent and decrease prevalence of chronic diseases through an evidence-based Durham County Parks after-school program.Master of Public Healt

Sulfur Mustard Induces Markers of Terminal Differentiation and Apoptosis in Keratinocytes Via a Ca2+-Calmodulin and Caspase-Dependent Pathway

Sulfur mustard (SM) induces vesication via poorly understood pathways. The blisters that are formed result primarily from the detachment of the epidermis from the dermis at the level of the basement membrane. In addition, there is toxicity to the basal cells, although no careful study has been performed to determine the precise mode of cell death biochemically. We describe here two potential mechanisms by which SM causes basal cell death and detachment: namely, induction of terminal differentiation and apoptosis. In the presence of 100 μM SM, terminal differentiation was rapidly induced in primary human keratinocytes that included the expression of the differentiation-specific markers K1 and K10 and the cross-linking of the cornified envelope precursor protein involucrin. The expression of the attachment protein, fibronectin, was also reduced in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Features common to both differentiation and apoptosis were also induced in 100 μM SM, including the rapid induction of p53 and the reduction of Bcl-2. At higher concentrations of SM (i.e., 300 μM), formation of the characteristic nucleosome-sized DNA ladders, TUNEL-positive staining of cells, activation of the cysteine protease caspase-3/apopain, and cleavage of the death substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, were observed both in vivo and in vitro. Both the differentiation and the apoptotic processes appeared to be calmodulin dependent, because the calmodulin inhibitor W-7 blocked the expression of the differentiation-specific markers, as well as the apoptotic response, in a concentration-dependent fashion. In addition, the intracellular Ca2+ chelator, BAPTA-AM, blocked the differentiation response and attenuated the apoptotic response. These results suggest a strategy for designing inhibitors of SM vesication via the Ca2+-calmodulin or caspase-3/PARP pathway

Inorganic Polyphosphates Are Important for Cell Survival and Motility of Human Skin Keratinocytes and Play a Role in Wound Healing

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is a simple ancient polymer of linear chains of orthophosphate residues linked by high energy phospho-anhydride bonds ubiquitously found in all organisms. Despite its structural simplicity, it plays diverse functional roles. polyP is involved in myriad of processes including serving as microbial phosphagens, buffer against alkalis, Ca2+ storage, metal-chelating agents, pathogen virulence, cell viability and proliferation, structural component and chemical chaperones, and in the microbial stress response. In mammalian cells, polyP has been implicated in blood coagulation, inflammation, bone differentiation, cell bioenergetics, signal transduction, Ca2+-signaling, neuronal excitability, as a protein-stabilizing scaffold, and in wound healing, among others. This chapter will discuss (1) polyP metabolism and roles of polyP in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, (2) the contribution of polyP to survival, cell proliferation, and motility involved in wound healing in human skin keratinocytes, (3) the use of polyP-containing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to promote wound healing in acute and chronic wounds, including burns, and (4) the use of polyP-containing PRP in excisional wound models to promote faster healing. While polyP shows promise as a therapeutic agent to accelerate healing for acute and chronic wounds, the molecular mechanisms as a potent modulator of the wound healing process remain to be elucidated