Adamson University

The invasive fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) threatens Philippine crops, highlighting the need for sustainable pest management. This study therefore optimizes the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), an abundant and problematic aquatic weed, as a potential pest control tool. Methanolic leaf extracts were prepared under varying methanol concentrations, temperatures, and extraction times, and total phenolic content was quantified using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. SEM–EDX confirmed the formation of silver nanoparticles synthesized from Eichhornia crassipes (Ec-AgNPs), with particles observed at ≤100 nm. Optimal extraction occurred at 47 °C, 90% methanol, and 76 min, maximizing phenolic yield. Overall, results suggest phenolic content and extract volume influence nanoparticle size and stability, with larger extract volumes increasing agglomeration risk. Pesticidal efficacy was not evaluated; further work is needed to assess pest control performance.

This study examined the relationships between social support, psychological well-being, and help-seeking intentions among parents of children with disabilities. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected a total of 115 parents from two schools located in Cavite City participated in the study to assess their sources of support, well-being levels, and help-seeking tendencies. Results showed that biological mothers were most often identified as the primary caregivers, with autism and ADHD being the most common neurodevelopmental diagnoses. Parents reported strong emotional support from family and educational institutions, while support from local government units was moderate. Psychological well-being was generally average, with environmental mastery scoring highest and personal growth and purpose in life scoring lower. Although many parents expressed a strong intention to seek help from close relationships, formal help-seeking through professional services remained low, likely due to stigma and limited awareness. Mediation analysis revealed that while social support positively influenced help-seeking intentions, it did not significantly mediate psychological well-being, suggesting the role of other factors such as cultural norms and personal resilience. The study underscores the need to strengthen informal and formal support systems and offers practical recommendations for parents, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

The utilization of waste biomass such as chicken manure (CM) for producing valuable products like fermentable sugars has gained increasing research attention. However, limited studies have explored the effect of acid pretreatment on sugar recovery efficiency specifically from CM. This study investigates the production of glucose and xylose from CM using dilute sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at concentrations of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 M under varying conditions. The results indicate that the highest yields were achieved from decrystallized CM, producing 46.21 mg glucose/g CM and 8.47 mg xylose/g CM under optimal conditions of 0.6 M H2SO4 and 100 °C. In contrast, non-decrystallized CM yielded 13.98 mg glucose/g CM and 1.67 mg xylose/g CM under 1.0 M H2SO4 and 100 °C. The decrystallization process using concentrated sulfuric acid effectively disrupted the lignin structure and partially hydrolyzed hemicellulose, enhancing cellulose accessibility during subsequent dilute acid hydrolysis. The study also revealed that glucose and xylose yields decreased as the dilute acid concentration increased from 0.6 to 0.8 M and temperature rose from 80 to 100 °C for decrystallized CM. Conversely, for non-decrystallized CM, sugar yields increased with higher acid concentration and temperature. These findings highlight the critical role of pretreatment in improving sugar recovery from CM and suggest that optimizing acid concentration and thermal conditions can enhance the efficiency of biomass conversion. This research contributes to the sustainable valorization of agricultural waste into bio-based products.

Accurate food intake tracking is key to a healthy lifestyle, especially for managing diet-related illnesses. Traditional self-reporting methods are often unreliable due to memory and portion size estimation errors. This study introduces a new system that uses object detection and depth mapping to measure the volume of Filipino food items. The system uses a custom dataset with images of three food classes taken from top and side views, each annotated with bounding boxes. It employs the YOLOv8 model for accurate object detection and depth estimation to create 3D food models for precise volume calculation. Achieving 95.4% detection accuracy and a 7.8% average volume error, the system shows promise for dietary monitoring applications. Experimental results prove the system's ability to process the custom dataset effectively, achieving accurate object detection and volume estimations. Through the integration of innovative computer vision methods with culturally appropriate food data, this solution provides a promising method for boosting dietary monitoring and nutritional evaluation in the Filipino community setting. While the model performed well on the three predefined food classes, misclassification of non-target items (e.g., Biko) highlights the absence of a background or rejection class in the training dataset.

Aging is a complex biological process driven by the dynamic interplay among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Advances in epigenetics have significantly deepened our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying aging, underscoring the critical roles of reversible modifications such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA regulation. Emerging evidence suggests that exercise is a potent modulator of these epigenetic processes, capable of reshaping the epigenetic landscape to restore cellular homeostasis, modulate gene expression, and enhance physiological resilience. This review systematically synthesizes current knowledge on how exercise modulates epigenetic mechanisms implicated in aging and delineates the distinct epigenetic adaptations induced by variations in exercise modality, intensity, and duration. By integrating these molecular insights, this review provides a comprehensive mechanistic framework linking exercise-induced epigenetic remodeling to healthy aging, and underscores exercise as a promising intervention to counteract aging-related functional decline and disease progression.

The advancement of small satellite technologies, exemplified by the BIRDS constellation, has democratized access to Earth observation data, fostering innovation in remote sensing applications. This study presents the development and evaluation of AI-based classification models for on-board image analysis using imagery from BIRDS satellites. The methodology involves parameter optimization using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), integration of lightweight convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with state-of-the-art classifiers (VGG16, ResNet50, EfficientNet, and Vision Transformer), and comprehensive training and testing on a BIRDS dataset. Key performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, were analyzed alongside computational efficiency. Results indicate that ResNet50 combined with an optimized CNN header achieved the highest accuracy (95%) and F1-score (95%), making it suitable for resource-moderate environments, while EfficientNet proved ideal for memory-constrained systems. The findings highlight the critical trade-offs between model performance and resource requirements, underscoring the potential of integrating optimized AI models to enhance satellite autonomy, reduce ground station dependency, and enable real-time decision-making in resource-constrained CubeSat environments. Future work will explore adaptive learning mechanisms and dynamic resource allocation to further advance on-board processing capabilities.

Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) have emerged as a critical concern in rapidly urbanizing areas, exacerbating thermal discomfort and hindering sustainability efforts. This study conducts a temporal analysis of UHI trends in Makati City, Philippines, over a five-year period (2020–2024), utilizing satellite-derived land surface temperature (LST) data to evaluate spatial and temporal variations in urban thermal patterns. The research investigates the morphology of urban hotspots and cold spots, correlating these findings with land-use patterns and vegetation cover. The results reveal significant thermal disparities between urban and rural areas, underscoring the role of urban morphology in shaping thermal environments. Implications for adaptive urban planning are discussed in the context of achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), with a focus on strategies to mitigate UHI impacts and enhance urban resilience.

The growing problem in solid wastes generated from the coconut fiber and plastic garbage is one of the many problems confronted now by many LGUs in one of the provinces in the Philippines. Different fibers and additives from PET has separately showed significant positive impact in SMA however the significant impact of local untreated coconut husk fiber in SMA asphalt mixture with liquefied PET bottle needed to further investigate. Physical properties such as air voids, VMA and VFA were conducted on conventional and experimental mixture, where 0.30%, 0.35%, & 0.40% experimental mixture passed the DPWH standard requirement. Marshall Stability and Flow of the experimental mixture was compared with DPWH standard value to determine the optimum fiber content of SMA with added 6% PET bottles with respect to the weight of the bitumen. Upon testing, it was observed that 0.30%, 0.35% and 0.40% passed the DPWH Standard but the design mix with 0.45% coconut fiber failed in both physical and mechanical property tests. It was concluded that 0.40% was the optimum fiber content using Marshall Design Mix method mentioned above with 4.50% higher index retained strength than the conventional mix. Furthermore, it also concluded that the coconut fiber showed significant effect in terms of Stability with a p-value of 0.013 while on Flow it showed non-significant effect at p-value of 0. 108. Thus, it is recommended that both waste materials from coconut and plastic garbage can be used as a replacement for conventional stabilizer materials used for stone mastic asphalt.

Javanese gamelan, a traditional musical ensemble deeply embedded in Javanese culture, serves as a profound symbol of harmony and spiritual values, reflecting principles such as balance, restraint, and tolerance. Historically integral to religious and ceremonial contexts, gamelan embodies a sacred medium through which the Javanese engage with the Divine, aligning with Mircea Eliade’s concept of hierophany—the manifestation of the sacred in the profane world. Despite its rich cultural and philosophical significance, contemporary shifts have led to a decline in gamelan’s popularity and its associated values, impacting cultural practices including the inculturation process within the Catholic Church among Javanese communities. This qualitative study, based on interviews, observations, and literature review, demonstrates that gamelan transcends mere musical function, offering a theological and cultural framework that can enhance Catholic liturgical music. Integrating gamelan into worship not only enriches faith expression but also fosters cultural identity and supports liturgical inculturation. The findings contribute to the discourse on cultural heritage preservation and religious adaptation by proposing a model that harmonises local artistic traditions with Christian worship, encouraging further interdisciplinary research and practical application.