The history of freshwater research in the Philippines with notes on its origins in the University of Santo Tomas and present-day contributions

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  

The study of freshwater ecosystems in the country has long had the reputation of being fragmentary and inconsistent, especially when compared to its marine counterparts. Other scientists have in fact noted that many studies that have been conducted on Philippine freshwaters have not gone beyond the “age of exploration”, which resulted to it being poorly represented in the scientific literature. This scenario has been consistent for both lotic and lentic habitats, even for those considered as major river and lake ecosystems, including those found in key biodiversity or known protected areas. This has gone on for decades in spite of the obvious need for invigorated and scientifically-driven approaches to study and manage freshwater ecosystems throughout the country, especially since freshwater ecosystems, including its flora and fauna, are under increasing threat from both natural and man-made environmental stressors, including intensive aquaculture, leading to eutrophication, the introduction of non-native species, as well as climate change. This is further aggravated by the low number of experts in various fields of basic and applied freshwater biology including taxonomists, limnologists, restoration ecologists etc. to deal with various problems and challenges in the Philippine setting. This paper presents the background, history and origins of freshwater biology research in the Philippines and the contributions of the University of Santo Tomas from 2002 to present.

Plaridel ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Esguerra Melencio

This paper discusses the history of DZLB, the community radio of the University of the Philippines- Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna, some 63 kilometers away from Manila. It traces the history of the radio under the College of Development Communication (UPLB-DevCom) that started in 1964. It tells the story of how the College of Agriculture Department of Agricultural Information and Communication evolved into the Institute of Development Communication making the UPLB history its backdrop. From UPCA, UPLB metamorphosed during the critical politic al events that culminated in 1972 when martial law was imposed in the Philippines. Witnesses to these unfolding events were the students who have been training in the field of communication and broadcasting. The campus and the communities within the reach of the DZLB radio have served as their laboratories. Through the School-on-Air and other programs, knowledge and information were broadcasted to the DLZB listeners who are farmers, housewives, out-of-school youth and students with the end in view of helping them raise their agricultural produce and eventually increase their income and improve the people’s quality of living. The UPLB-DevCom also plans to have an online television-radio to expand and increase their reach among their listeners and viewers inside and outside of the UPLB campus.


2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scarlett Mia S. Tabuñar ◽  
Ronald Allan A. Magsinso

Background. Scarcity of early local clinical data of COVID-19 proved to be a major challenge as its course rapidly evolved over time. The information gathered from this study can be used in improving awareness and understanding a novel disease particularly in detecting demographic trends, vulnerable clinical profiles and potential clusters in order to be abreast on how the virus behaves in the local setting. Objectives. 1) To describe the clinical profile of COVID-19 adult consults at the University of the Philippines- Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) during the early months of the outbreak 2) To determine their association with the COVID-19 results and final outcome Methods. A retrospective medical record review was done on COVID-19-related consults of patients aged 19 years and above from 01 January to 30 June 2020 at the emergency department (ED). Statistical analyses were done using Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact test using STATA V15.1 with 95% level of significance (p<0.05). Results. The median age of the 901 COVID-19-related consults at the ED was 46 years; 55.49% were males mostly belonging to the age group below 60 years. Almost all were Filipinos (99.44%), majority residing in the city of Manila (64.93%) and only 2.22% had a history of travel outside the country. The most common chief complaint was fever (32.47%) followed by cough (27.58%) and shortness of breath (25.75%). Most had their onset of symptoms from 1-7 days (79.80%) before ED arrival and 86.07% (n=210) were COVID-positive after performing the confirmatory test. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 mostly resided in cities of the National Capital Region (p=0.046), either presented with fever or asymptomatic but with exposure to COVID patients (Fisher’s Exact test; p<0.001) and onset of symptoms was 4-5 days (p=0.007). Those identified with poor prognosis were those aged 60 years and older (p<0.001), with complaint of shortness of breath (Fisher’s exact test; p<0.001) and with delayed symptom presentation of 6 days or more (p=0.037). Conclusion. The COVID-19-related consults at UP-PGH during the first 6 months of the pandemic were mostly males, Filipinos, belonging to the less than 60 years age group (median age=46 years), residing in the city of Manila and no history of travel outside the country. The most common presenting complaint was fever and onset of symptoms was typically 1-7 days before ED arrival. The positive RT-PCR result was significantly associated to patients residing in Metro Manila, either presenting with fever or no symptoms but with exposure to COVID patients, and with onset of symptoms of 4-5 days. Older age (60 years old and above), shortness of breath and delayed symptom presentation of 6 days of more were also found to have significant association with poor prognosis. As not much is known of the behavior and course of COVID-19 particularly at the local setting, it is therefore crucial to be aware of emerging trends to respond adequately and achieve optimal outcomes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Moore

Twenty nine items of correspondence from the mid-1950s discovered recently in the archives of the University Marine Biological Station Millport, and others made available by one of the illustrators and a referee, shed unique light on the publishing history of Collins pocket guide to the sea shore. This handbook, generally regarded as a classic of its genre, marked a huge step forwards in 1958; providing generations of students with an authoritative, concise, affordable, well illustrated text with which to identify common organisms found between the tidemarks from around the coasts of the British Isles. The crucial role played by a select band of illustrators in making this publication the success it eventually became, is highlighted herein. The difficulties of accomplishing this production within commercial strictures, and generally as a sideline to the main employment of the participants, are revealed. Such stresses were not helped by changing demands on the illustrators made by the authors and by the publishers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Funk

In the history of botany, Adam Zalužanský (d. 1613), a Bohemian physician, apothecary, botanist and professor at the University of Prague, is a little-known personality. Linnaeus's first biographers, for example, only knew Zalužanský from hearsay and suspected he was a native of Poland. This ignorance still pervades botanical history. Zalužanský is mentioned only peripherally or not at all. As late as the nineteenth century, a researcher would be unaware that Zalužanský’s main work Methodi herbariae libri tres actually existed in two editions from two different publishers (1592, Prague; 1604, Frankfurt). This paper introduces the life and work of Zalužanský. Special attention is paid to the chapter “De sexu plantarum” of Zalužanský’s Methodus, in which, more than one hundred years before the well-known De sexu plantarum epistola of R. J. Camerarius, the sexuality of plants is suggested. Additionally, for the first time, an English translation of Zalužanský’s chapter on plant sexuality is provided.


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