Universidad Santo Tomás

Abstract As proclaimed by the former President of the Republic of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the municipality of Paete in the province of Laguna is declared as the “Carving Capital of the Philippines” under the Presidential Proclamation No. 809, s. 2005. It was given to the municipality because of the local community’s strong tradition of carving using traditional (wood) and conventional (e.g., soap, ice, fruits, and vegetables; metal) mediums. But in history, cultural, and communal contexts, the town and its community also offer other traditional craftsmanship. Unfortunately, some of these are about to be neglected and forgotten due to commercialization, modernization, and rapid development. This paper assessed the heritage significance and safeguarding culture on the traditional craftsmanship of Paete, Laguna, Philippines. The paper’s main objective was to identify the different traditional craftsmanship of the town, determine the current situation on safeguarding and developing the traditional craftsmanship, and analyze the stakeholders’ perspectives on safeguarding and developing the tradition. As part of the findings, the researchers documented 16 traditional crafts of the Paeteños, each of which is individually significant, especially in its historical, aesthetic, economic, technological, social, and symbolic aspects. It was also identified that the commonality in promoting sustainable development for Paete’s traditional craftsmanship relies on the stakeholders’ initiative for livelihood opportunities, promotions through commercialization and tourism, sociocultural identity, and conservation of natural resources.

Introduction: The quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is influenced by multiple factors, including the severity of the disease. Objectives: To determine the relationship between quality of life and the severity of Parkinson's disease, identifying the most affected factors at each stage of progression. Methodology: 30 adults with an average age of 51.417±1.80 years from the Parkinson's Association of Valdivia were administered the SF-36 survey to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Additionally, the Hoehn and Yahr scale was used to determine the severity of Parkinson's disease (PD). Results: According to the SF-36 questionnaire, women showed a better quality of life (55.08%) compared to men (47.75%). The dimensions of physical role (dimension 2) and emotional role (dimension 7) were significantly low, while vitality (dimension 5), mental health (dimension 8), and social functioning (dimension 6) showed significantly higher differences. The Hoehn and Yahr scale revealed that most participants were in a mild to moderate stage of the disease, with stage 3 being the most frequent, 30% in women and 23.33% in men. The predominant signs and symptoms were bradykinesia, resting tremor, postural instability, and balance disturbances. Conclusions: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients classified as mild to moderate is not significantly affected by the severity of the disease. Additionally, women have a more favorable perception of their quality of life.

Wood is a versatile material; however, it is susceptible to changes when exposed to extreme temperatures. This study investigated the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of raulí (Nothofagus alpina) under different thermal stress conditions. The results showed that the moisture content at temperatures below 5 °C exhibited a significant reduction from 9.7% to 7.5% within the first 20 days. Conversely, under extreme cold (-20 °C), significant changes only occurred after 60 days, with an increase from 9.7% to 11%. At higher temperatures (50 °C, 95 °C, and 120 °C), moisture content dropped sharply after 40 days, nearing 0%. Additionally, analysis showed minor color changes in samples at low temperatures: RW2 (20 d; 5 °C, ΔE* = 3.46) and RW7 (40 d; 5 °C, ΔE* = 0.61); however, color changes were observed at higher temperatures (95-120 °C). RW15 (60 d; 120 °C, ΔE* = 37.16), indicating the degradation of cell wall polymers. Mechanical testing using three-point bending demonstrated that controlled heat treatments can improve the modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), and fracture energy. The most significant improvements were obtained at 120 °C for 60 days, with increases in MOE, MOR, and fracture energy of 22%, 60%, and 118%, respectively, compared to untreated wood.

Frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), a pattern of brain activity that reflects the difference in alpha wave power between the left and right frontal areas of the brain, is considered a stable marker for an individual's tendency to experience either more approach-related or withdrawal-related emotions. On the other hand, electrodermal activity (EDA) measures arousal by tracking changes in skin sweat, which are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. This study explores the interrelation between EDA features, obtained from time and frequency domains, with FAA by means of the mutual information. Multiple cognitive tasks such as EAT, ship search, PVT and N-Back were analyzed in 10 participants in intervals of two hours over 24 h (12 trials), in which they had to face sleep deprivation conditions. The most informative EDA features about FAA, were used to identify the two main clusters associated to high and low FAA values through the hierarchical agglomerative clustering approach. Once data is labeled, a supervised classifier based on support vector machines (SVMs) is used to identify positive and negative emotional states by using a rigorous one-trial out cross-validation scheme. Results show consistent performance within tasks and trials, achieving accuracy values over 80% on average, giving an important insight about the use of EDA signal as an alternative to the more complex FAA measurement for tracking positive or negative emotional states.

Mental health has been the subject of multiple investigations in different fields of knowledge. While there are definitions framed in laws and models, there is no consensus. In recent years, research on mental health has noted the increasing number of disorders and needs among children. However, it was only recently that studies began to focus on what constitutes mental health in childhood. However, in this discourse on mental health in childhood, children have often been rendered invisible by an adult-centric narrative that attempts to make the best decisions for them. In this context, the research that frames this article aimed to contribute to the conceptualization of children’s mental health in the school setting, taking as its main element the meanings that children have constructed about it. Using a qualitative methodology with a narrative design, the meaning of mental health in childhood was examined in children, teachers, and parents. As a result, a theoretical approach to the research phenomenon was constructed, which primarily reflected children’s voices. It is concluded that the meaning of mental health in childhood includes relationships with others, emotions, and physical and personal care activities. The potential for research with children is enriching, given the breadth of their personal and social constructs, for any type of discussion that concerns them.

FLASH radiotherapy, characterized by ultra-high dose rates (> 40 Gy/s), potentially spares normal tissues while maintaining antitumor efficacy (the FLASH effect). While electron and proton FLASH are explored, pulsed X-ray sources like plasma focus devices offer unique possibilities. Previous work has reported hyper-radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer cells exposed to ultra-high-dose-rate pulsed X-rays from a kilojoule plasma focus (PF) device, without significant effects on non-cancerous cells. This study further investigates the biological effects of ultra-high-dose-rate (~ 10⁷ Gy/min), low-total-dose pulsed X-rays generated by a PF-2 kJ device on colorectal cancer cell lines, focusing on DNA damage, cell cycle progression, and gene expression. Low-total-dose (~ 0.25 Gy), ultra-high-dose-rate pulsed X-rays (0.025 Gy/pulse, a total of 10 pulses, pulses temporally separated by 15–20 s) generated by a PF-2 kJ device induced a significant increase in the SubG1 population in HCT116 and DLD1 cells over 72 h, an effect indicative of apoptosis, which was not observed with conventional X-rays at similar total doses. In addition, pulsed X-rays induced apoptosis in radioresistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Whereas conventional X-rays did not cause a significant increase in double-strand breaks (DSBs), surrogate marker γ-H2AX and phosphor-P53(Ser15) signal were detected 30 min following pulsed X-ray exposure and persisted for up to 24 h, and no evidence of G2/M cell cycle arrest was detected in exposed cells. Gene expression analysis and preliminary transcriptomic data further suggest a DNA damage response leading to cell death and global change in general biological processes related to regulation of gene expression. Low-total-dose (~ 0.25 Gy), ultra-high-dose-rate pulsed X-rays generated by a PF-2 kJ device induce significant and sustained DNA damage (DSBs) leading to increased apoptosis in colorectal (HCT-116, DLD-1) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells, compared to conventional X-rays. These effects, coupled with distinct changes in gene expression, suggest that ultra-high-dose-rate pulsed X-rays may overcomeradio-resistancee without eliciting a conventional DNA damage repair or cell cycle checkpoint response. These findings support the potential of PF-generated pulsed X-rays as a novel sourcof e radiotherapy modality and warrant further investigation, particularly in in vivo models, to assess clinical applicability and safety.

Physical exercise is a potent non-pharmacological strategy for the prevention and management of Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a multifactorial disorder characterized by hepatic lipid accumulation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the benefits of exercise extend beyond caloric expenditure and are largely mediated by coordinated molecular and cellular adaptations within the liver and peripheral tissues. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the mechanisms through which exercise modulates MASLD pathophysiology, emphasizing intracellular signaling pathways, mitochondrial remodeling, antioxidant defenses, and myokine-driven muscle-liver crosstalk. Exercise induces acute and chronic activation of pathways such as AMPK, PGC-1α, Nrf2, and Akt, resulting in enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, improved fatty acid oxidation, restored insulin signaling, and reduced inflammatory and oxidative stress. Repeated skeletal muscle contraction stimulates the release of myokines-including irisin, IL-6, and FGF21-that act through endocrine and paracrine routes to regulate hepatic lipid metabolism, promote systemic metabolic flexibility, and attenuate disease progression. Epigenetic modifications and exercise-responsive microRNAs further contribute to long-term hepatic metabolic reprogramming. Collectively, these molecular adaptations position exercise as a systemic, disease-modifying stimulus capable of restoring hepatic homeostasis, slowing the transition from steatosis to NASH and fibrosis, and improving long-term metabolic health. Understanding these mechanisms provides a foundation for developing targeted, personalized exercise-based interventions in the clinical management of MASLD.

Handgrip strength (HGS) has been considered as an indicator of muscle strength and overall physical fitness, with increasing relevance in sports science for talent identification and performance monitoring. However, no bibliometric study has been conducted to map the HGS research landscape in athletic contexts. A bibliometric analysis was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database, retrieving 229 publications. Typical bibliometric laws (i.e., Price's, Bradford's, Lotka's, and Zipf's) were employed to analyze publication trends, core journals, influential authors, country contributions, and keyword co-occurrences. Annual publications increased exponentially, especially after 2019, reaching 37 documents in 2024. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness were the most prominent journals. The United States and Spain led in productivity and impact. Key research themes included strength, performance, body composition, and physical fitness, with HGS demonstrating significant associations with sport tasks such as throwing, racquet sports, and weightlifting. HGS constitutes an accessible and valuable tool for assessing and predicting athletic performance, especially in sports requiring upper body strength and coordination. Future research should aim to expand database inclusion and address identified gaps, such as the relationship between HGS training and sport-specific outcomes.