Criteria and indicators for assessing sustainability of smallholder tree plantations in selected regions in The Philippines

A study was conducted in three regions in the Philippines to identify a set of criteria and indicators for assessing sustainability of smallholder tree plantations. The research method involved a combination of key informant interviews, focus group discussions and consultations as well as an examination of existing records, documents and forest regulatory policies at both national and local levels. Six criteria and 41 indicators were selected for assessing sustainability of smallholder tree plantations. The 41 indicators are distributed among the six criteria identified as follows: Criterion 1 − Enabling conditions for sustainable forest management (SFM) with 10 indicators; Criterion 2 − Forest Resource Security with 8 indicators; Criterion 3 − Forest Ecosystem Health and Condition with 2 indicators; Criterion 4 − Flow of Forest Products Produce with 9 indicators; Criterion 5 − Soil and water conservation with 2 indicators; and Criterion 6 − Economic, Social and Cultural aspects with 10 indicators. These criteria and indicators for smallholder tree plantations are designed to provide a comprehensive framework which will guide smallholder tree farmers and the Philippine government towards sustainable forest management

The Emergence and Development of Syntactic Patterns in EFL Writing in a School Context: A Longitudinal Study

The present longitudinal study analyses the emergence and development of syntactic patterns in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) written production. Data were elicited by means of a paper and pencil task from sixteen school learners at three different times over a time span of 6 years. Studies in the area of Second Language Writing (SLW) have mainly focused on English as a second language and very few longitudinal studies have been carried out with low proficiency learners in a school context. To further contribute to the field, we have tried out a new measure of analysis, namely, the production of syntactic patterns. The results show that most learners produce both a wider variety and a higher number of patterns from one time to another, although statistically significant differences vary across patterns in relation to the times of data collection; secondly, it was found that the behaviour of two of the learners differed from that of the rest of the participants. It is concluded that in an instructional setting, the development of syntactic patterns in EFL writing as proficiency increases does not always show progression towards complexity and that it may be learner dependent

Semi-Automated Building Footprint Extraction, Delineation And 3D Visualisation Of The University Of The Philippines Main Campus From LIDAR Data Using GIS-Based Open Source Software

The advent of three-dimensional building footprint extraction and visualization has recently been explored due to its applications in urban planning, transportation, environmental monitoring, and modelling. Through the use of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data products such as Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Digital Surface Model (DSM), useful information such as elevation, size, and shape can be obtained from the processed point clouds. Different studies regarding building extraction procedures have been conducted and explored. Algorithms have also been developed using LiDAR and GIS-based software that assume a rectangular form of polygons as building structures. As such, this study discusses an approach in developing a semiautomated building footprint extraction and three-dimensional visualization of the University of the Philippines (UP) main campus using solely LiDAR data and GIS-based open source software - QGIS Chugiak Version and GRASS 7.0. The UP-Diliman Campus situated in Quezon City, Philippines consists of various polygonal structured buildings which makes it a good subject area for this study. The proposed scheme composed of three major parts: LiDAR pre-processing, building footprint extraction and delineation, and three-dimensional building visualization. Normalized digital surface model (nDSM) can be generated using DTM and DSM. Under building footprint extraction and delineation, four parameters were set: height threshold, area scope, topographic modelling, and smoothing tolerance. For the classification by height, a threshold is set to remove structures with height less than the predetermined value of elevation. Classification by area removes the objects with areas that do not fall within the predetermined area scope. Topographic modelling is used mainly to separate building from other entities. Smoothing tolerance simplifies building outlines. The accuracy assessment for the extraction and delineation is quantified using ground truth data in comparison with the extracted polygons. As compared to manual digitization of building polygons, this semi-automation can be more efficient in extracting and delineating building footprint in areas with large scope. Experimental results indicate that the proposed scheme provides a promising solution for 3D building extraction and delineation using LiDAR data processed in QGIS Chugiak Version and GRASS 7.0. This methodology is a valuable tool for urban planning and modelling

Lexical Crosslinguistic Influence and Study Abroad: Do Learners Use L1-Based Resources Less?

Research in Crosslinguistic Influence (CLI) has traditionally addressed two broad types of lexical CLI transfer of form and transfer of meaning (Ringbom 1987) which were reconceptualized by Jarvis (2009) as lexemic and lemmatic transfer, respectively. Whereas the former considers the phonological and graphemic structure of words, the latter is related to semantic and syntactic properties. These types of lexical CLI have been analysed in relation to L2 proficiency, but not in relation to factors such as Study Abroad (SA), which the present study aims to investigate. The oral production by 107 Catalan/Spanish learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) was analysed in terms of lexical CLI and the amount of input received during their SA. Results show an inverse relationship between the amount of input in SA and lexical CLI; that is, the higher the number of hours abroad, the fewer cases of lexical CLI. Statistical differences were found for lemmatic CLI and for one type of lexemic CLI. In light of these findings, it is suggested that learners that take part in SA programmes do not rely on L1-based resources when gaps in their knowledge arise

EL PROCESO DE MANEJO DEL AGUA EN LOS SUBSISTEMAS SOCIO-CULTURAL Y ECONÓMICO EN LA MICRO CUENCA EL PERICÓN, TECOANAPA, GUERRERO

El problema de suministro de agua en las viviendas es común en el ámbito rural de México y creciente en el país, pero el de su contaminación por usarla es general y poco atendido con eficiencia, por ello en esta investigación inicial se planteó el objetivo de analizar la microcuenca “El Pericón”, desde la perspectiva de su dimensión socio-cultural y económica, para su posterior integración con las dimensiones: biofísica, tecnológica y político-administrativa, como medio para el estudio y la gestión integral de la microcuenca en municipio de Tecoanapa, Guerrero, lo que implica un importante esfuerzo de integración interdisciplinaria para el equipo participante. El marco teórico se centra en las relaciones naturaleza-sociedad y en el proceso de manejo del agua, como una modalidad de dichas relaciones, en el ámbito de este recurso vital. El procedimiento seguido es el análisis de dos dimensiones para identificar puntos relevantes de la problemática y posteriormente conjuntarlos con las tres dimensiones restantes, para su modelación con fines a comprender las variables trascendentes y modificables de la problemática para su atención. Dentro de los resultados destaca la baja percepción en cuanto a las formas de actuación de la población y los productores para contaminar el agua y su posible reutilización, así como para reducir el desperdicio, sobre todo en fugas. También es relevante la alta marginación que sintetiza una serie de indicadores de la comunidad, que son relativamente bajos en los contextos estatal y nacional. Con ello una recomendación preliminar es la formación de conciencia ambiental en la población en general y en los productores agrícolas, en términos específicos sobre el papel que juegan en esta problemática

Management and decision support system for smallholder tree plantation developers

This paper reports experiences and inferences in the development of a decision support system (DSS) for smallholder tree plantation development in Regions 2, 10, and 13 in the Philippines. It was found out that farmers in these regions are not practicing intensive plantation management. Silvicultural practices and cultural management including weeding, fertilization, pruning and thinning, if practiced, are done arbitrarily. Choice of species is mainly based on seed availability, and time for harvest is selected based on gut feeling and more often dictated by the need to convert crops to liquid assets. Although the farmers claimed they are realizing positive returns from investment, analysis showed that the production from plantations can be increased. A DSS is being developed to show these realities to the farmers and to allow them to evaluate options to increase production. The main component of the system is a database on silvicultural regimes and management requirements of mahogany, mangium and yemane in plantations. Data were gathered from reported results of previous studies. The DSS also has a database of the various policies affecting the decisions that farmers take. The other component of the system is a dynamic growth model that simulates plantation performance. With the databases and the dynamic models put together in a DSS, a decision-support tool is developed that allows the developers to conduct a trial and error or ‘what if’ analysis on a proposed or existing plantation, prior to implementation of an activity or treatment. The DSS is being developed to assist smallholder tree plantation developers in making technical and business decisions, from choice of species to conduct of cultural management activities to final harvest to transport of raw materials

The ability of electrochemical oxidation with a BDD anode to inactivate Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in low conductivity sulfate medium

The disinfection of 100 mL of synthetic water containing 7 mM Na2SO4 with 106 CFU mL-1 of either Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria has been studied by electrochemical oxidation. The electrolytic cell was a stirred tank reactor equipped with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a stainless steel cathode and the trials were performed at acidic and neutral pH, at 33 mA cm-2 and 25 ºC. Reactive oxygen species, pre-eminently hydroxyl radicals, were efficiently produced in both media from water oxidation at the BDD anode and the bacteria concentration was reduced by ≥ 5 log units after 60 min of electrolysis, thus constituting a good chlorine-free disinfection treatment. All the inactivation kinetics were described by a logistic model, with no significant statistical differences between acidic and neutral suspensions. The electrochemical disinfection with BDD was very effective for Gram-negative bacilli like E. coli and P. aeruginosa and Gram-positive ones like B. atrophaeus, whereas the Gram-positive cocci S. aureus and E. hirae were more resistant. Thus, the latter organisms are a better choice than E. coli as process indicators. Scanning electron microscopy highlighted a transition from initial cells with standard morphology supported on clean filters to inactivated cells with a highly altered morphology lying on dirty filters with plenty of cellular debris. Larger damage was observed for Gram-negative cells compared to Gram-positive ones. The inactivation effect could then be related to the chemical composition of the outer layers of the cell structure along with the modification of the transmembrane potentials upon current passage

Influence of PPh3 moiety in the anticancer activity of new organometallic ruthenium complexes

The effect of the PPh3 group in the antitumor activity of some new organometallic Ruthenium (II) complexes has been investigated. Several complexes of the type [Ru(II)(Cl)(PPh3)(Lig-N)], [Ru(II)(Cl)2(Lig-N)] (where Lig-N=pyridine derivate) and [Ru(II)(Cl)(PPh3)2], have been synthesized and characterized, and an important increment of the antitumor activity and cytotoxicity of the complexes due to the presence of PPh3 moiety has been demonstrated, affording IC50 values of 5.2 μM in HL-60 tumour cell lines. Atomic Force Microscopy, Circular Dichroism and Electrophoresis experiments have proved that these complexes can bind DNA resulting in a distortion of both secondary and tertiary structures. Ethidium bromide displacement Fluorescence Spectroscopy studies and Viscosity measurements support that the presence of PPh3 group induces intercalation interactions with DNA. Indeed, crystallographic analysis, suggest that intra-molecular π-π interactions could be involved in the intercalation within DNA base pairs. Furthermore, HPLC-MS studies have confirmed a strong interaction between Ruthenium complexes and proteins (Ubiquitin and Potato Carboxypeptidase Inhibitor -PCI-) including slower kinetic due to the presence of PPh3 moiety, which could have an important role in detoxification mechanism and others. Finally, Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry (IMMS) experiments have proved that there is no change in the structural conformation of the proteins owing to their bonding to Ruthenium complexes. This seems particularly important in the case of PCI, that may be a suitable candidate for vehiculizing these complexes in a selective manner into tumour cells. In agreement with these results, further investigations should be carried out to clarify either there is a favoured binding to DNA or to specific proteins, thus to elucidate their main biological target

The CPDB: a learning and teaching corpus-based methodological tool

Corpus-based methodological tools and NTICs have recently become a commonplace in the teaching-learning of SL and FL, as they allow the language learner to become aware of the complexities of real language in use. As part of a teaching innovation project, GReLiC has recently developed a database of English clause patterns. This study shows the lexico-grammatical information provided in the database as well as some of its pedagogical applications in the linguistics classroom

New π-arene ruthenium (II) piano-stool complexes with nitrogen ligands

The synthesis, characterization, DNA interaction and antiproliferative behavior of new π-arene ruthenium(II) piano-stool complexes with nitrogen ligands are described. Three series of organometallic compounds of formulae [RuCl2(η6-p-cym)L] were synthesized (with L = 2-, 3- or 4-methylpyridine; L = 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5-, 3,4-, 3,5-dimethylpyridine and L = 1,2-, 1,3- 1,4-methylaminobenzene). The crystal structures of [RuCl2(p-cym)(4-methylpyridine)], [RuCl2(p-cym)(3,4-dimethylpyridine)] and [RuCl2(p-cym)(1,4-methylaminobenzene)] were resolved and the characterization was completed by spectroscopic UV-vis, FT-IR and 1H NMR studies. Electrochemical experiments were performed by cyclic voltammetry to estimate the redox potential of the Ru(II)/Ru(III) couple. The interaction with plasmid pBR322 DNA was studied through the examination of the electrophoretical mobility and atomic force microscopy, and interaction with ct-DNA by circular dichroism, viscosity measurements and fluorescence studies based on the DNA-ethidium bromide complex. The antiproliferative behavior of the series with L = methylpyridine was assayed against two tumor cell lines, i.e. LoVo and MiaPaca. The results revealed a moderate cytotoxicity with a higher activity for the LoVo cell line compared to the MiaPaca one