Import Smuggling in the Philippines: An Economic Analysis

This study attempts to generate an estimate of import smuggling using Philippine data on import trade. Through the development of microeconomic model, it tries to explain the level of smuggling activity in terms of factors impinging on the trader’s decision to engage in smuggling.trade sector, overvaluation, import commodities, smuggling

Import Smuggling in the Philippines: An Economic Analysis

This study attempts to generate an estimate of import smuggling using Philippine data on import trade. Through the development of microeconomic model, it tries to explain the level of smuggling activity in terms of factors impinging on the trader’s decision to engage in smuggling.trade sector, overvaluation, import commodities, smuggling

From Waste to Wonders

Can you change someone’s life with a pair of scissors and a plastic bottle? This thesis takes inspiration from the existing resilient use of material in the slums and explores the material properties of the most abundantly found and discarded material, the plastic bottle. By experimenting with the capabilities of the plastic bottle, the goal of this thesis is to create a surface tectonic that enhances the experience for the currently oppressed women, while also arguing the notion that the right to the city is a collective privilege—everyone, regardless of gender, has the right to space. According to Farshid Moussavi’s writings on Function of Form, the overall feeling and atmosphere of a space is derived from the materiality of the surfaces; Building upon this notion, the thesis inquires: how can we utilize the simple material of the plastic bottle to create liberating spaces for the women? How can we use the atmospheric quality of space & material utilization for the empowerment of women

Liner Notes

For most of my adult life, my primary mode of artistic expression has been songwriting. Liner Notes consists of one part song lyrics, one part reminiscence on the events that sparked the songs, and one part commentary on the songwriting craft itself. Even the most successful song lyrics will fall flat when divorced from their music, and the lyrics herein will probably suffer a similar fate. What they lack in poetic refinement, I hope they make up for in their honesty, humor, and musicality. The memoirs have been shaped by my reading of numerous contemporary writers who work in multiple genres, most often in memoir and poetry. An examination of what motivates these writers, and how meaningful they view their own lives, comprises the majority of the introduction. The examining of the craft, and the re-examining of my past, have been undertaken with hopes that a fountain of creativity might be discovered

Ned-19 inhibition of parasite growth and multiplication suggests a role for NAADP mediated signalling in the asexual development of plasmodium falciparum

BACKGROUND: Although malaria is a preventable and curable human disease, millions of people risk to be infected by the Plasmodium parasites and to develop this illness. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-malarial drugs. Ca2+ signalling regulates different processes in the life cycle of Plasmodium falciparum, representing a suitable target for the development of new drugs. RESULTS: This study investigated for the first time the effect of a highly specific inhibitor of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP)-induced Ca2+ release (Ned-19) on P. falciparum, revealing the inhibitory effect of this compound on the blood stage development of this parasite. Ned-19 inhibits both the transition of the parasite from the early to the late trophozoite stage and the ability of the late trophozoite to develop to the multinucleated schizont stage. In addition, Ned-19 affects spontaneous intracellular Ca2+ oscillations in ring and trophozoite stage parasites, suggesting that the observed inhibitory effects may be associated to regulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the inhibitory effect of Ned-19 on progression of the asexual life cycle of P. falciparum. The observation that Ned-19 inhibits spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations suggests a potential role of NAADP in regulating Ca2+ signalling of P. falciparum