Publications

[Excerpt] Tulad ng karamihan sa mga wika sa Pilipinas, ang verbal na sentence sa Mag-antsi ay binubuo ng VP (bilang predicate) at mga complement nito. ...[A]ng verb ay maaaring umayon sa kanyang mga nominal clause element sa pamamagitan ng mga affix na ikinakabit dito. Sa isang verbal na sentence, halimbawa, habang kinukuha ng subject o focus ng verb ang subject marker na ya, naka-encode naman sa verbal predicate ang semantic role na kanyang fino-focus. Samantala, ang mga NP na hindi fino-focus ng verbal predicate ay may kani-kaniyang determiner. Sa kani-kaniyang determiner malalaman kung gayon ang mga ugnayan sa pagitan ng mga NP at ng bawat NP sa verbal predicate. Ang ganitong kumplikadong sistema ng verb ay tipikal sa mga Philippine-type language (Kroeger, 1993; Blust, 2002), kung saan kabilang ang Mag-antsi.

In conjunction with appropriately designed test, cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) can be used to identify students’ mastery or nonmastery of skills in a domain. The diagnostic and finer-grained information from CDMs can lead to tailored instruction and remediation. In this chapter, we introduce the generalized deterministic input, noisy “and” gate (G-DINA) model as a general CDM framework. In addition to various CDM formulations, the G-DINA model framework subsumes parameter
estimation, model fit evaluation, Q-matrix validation, differential item functioning analysis, and classification accuracy estimation. Using empirically based simulated data, we illustrate how CDM analysis can be performed using the GDINA R package.

The development of the Filipino Coping Strategies scale was based on the qualitative data on the resilience of Filipinos and the ways by which they cope with stressful life experiences and the quantitative data on foreign measures of coping. Integration of both data led to the formulation of nine coping strategies: cognitive reappraisal (pagsusuri), social support (paghingi ng tulong), problem-solving (pagtugon), religiosity (pagkarelihiyoso), tolerance (pagtitiis), emotional release (paglabas ng saloobin), overactivity (pagmamalabis), relaxation/recreation (paglilibang), and substance use (pagbibisyo). Initially, the scale was composed of 45 items with five items under each domain. This was pilot tested to 627 male and female Filipinos aged 18 above. Reliability analysis revealed items that are internally consistent with each other resulting in the reduction of items to 37. Furthermore, construct validity was established via a) factor analysis through principal components analysis extraction method and varimax rotation method and b) test for convergent validity by correlating each domain of the Filipino Coping Strategies scale with the corresponding domains of Ways of Coping by Folkman and Lazarus and the COPE Inventory by Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub. Independent samples t-test revealed significant differences among males and females in each coping strategy which served as the basis for norm groups. The Filipino Coping Strategies scale is a four-point Likert scale which aims to measure the coping strategies of Filipinos towards stress and generates a coping dispositional profile which can be used to aid in the assessment of coping behaviors.

The influence of plasma-forming gases such as argon and oxygen in the reduction of silver ions (\$\$\\backslashtext \Ag\\^+\$\$Ag+) infused into a natural zeolite framework has been investigated for antibacterial applications. Impregnation by soaking and ion exchange were combined with 13.56 MHz radio-frequency plasma to reduce \$\$\\backslashtext \Ag\\^+\$\$Ag+to their metallic state for a greener and energy-efficient process. The plasma treatment of the silver zeolite (AgZ) composites did not alter the crystalline structure of the zeolite, while successfully reducing \$\$\\backslashtext \Ag\\^+\$\$Ag+to its metallic form as a nanoparticle encapsulated by the zeolite. The antibacterial index of the AgZ composites against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli confirmed the fervent antibacterial activity of plasma-reduced Ag NP embedded in the zeolite matrix against the two bacterial strains. The highest activity belongs to the samples treated with oxygen plasma. This result is related to increased active area of contact and the incorporation of reactive oxygen species in the zeolite matrix, which contributed to the antibacterial sensitivity of the plasma-treated AgZ.

Water-based ink formulations containing wax, surfactant, and defoamer additives were prepared and printed on polyethylene film substrates. Standard test methods for adhesion, rub resistance, and gloss were done on the printed polyethylene films. Quantitative methods for the assessment and evaluation of the three print properties were developed. Image analyses were done to quantify adhesion and rub resistance. Quantitative measurement was done to quantify gloss. Data were analyzed using mixture design modelling and optimization. Modelling results show that adhesion and gloss are described by special cubic model equations, while rub resistance is described by a linear model equation. Contour plots and 3D surface graphs were generated showing the response surfaces of the print properties. The effects of varying the mass fractions of wax, surfactant, and defoamer on adhesion, rub resistance, and gloss were determined. It was found that increasing wax increases rub resistance, while increasing surfactant increases gloss, and increasing defoamer increases adhesion. There is dependency found between the mass fraction of wax, surfactant and defoamer with respect to the rub resistance, adhesion and gloss. Multi-objective optimization revealed that optimum adhesion, rub resistance, and gloss is obtained by a formulation containing equal mass fractions of wax and surfactant but no defoamer.

This essay is a preliminary discussion of the palo-palo, a cultural performance of the Ivatan community in the Batanes group of islands in northernmost Philippines where performers strike "opponents's" sticks to reenact a battle of two opposing camps. The first part is a descriptive narrative of the palo-palo performance. The second part is a preliminary analysis and theorization of the palo-palo's origin by arguing that the performance could have been based on and/or inspired by the komedya, a Philippine traditional theatre form introduced by the Spaniards during colonization which has roots in the socio-historical conflict of the Christians and the Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula in Southwest Europe. Generally, the localization of the form is argued to be paradoxically an embrace and repudiation of the foreign.

We present preliminary findings on the language vitality and morphosyntactic properties of a language at risk of being endangered, Iraya. Iraya is a language spoken by one of the eight indigenous Mangyan groups on the island of Mindoro, Philippines. Research on Iraya has been very limited, only covering its genetic relationship with other Mangyan and Philippine languages (Zorc, 1974; Barbian, 1977; Reid, 2017), or with its phonology and morphology. This study aimed to fill in these gaps by investigating the morphosyntactic properties of the language, as well as its language vitality.

The present study compared the consistency of the results of three nonparametric differential item functioning (DIF) techniques – the Cumulative Common Log-Odds Ratio (CCLOR), Standardized Mean Difference (SMD), and the Mantel Test (Mantel) in detecting gender DIF in the Emotional Quotient Scale – College Version. The sample comprised 1,229 college students (male = 657; women= 572) from a state university in the Philippines. The agreement of the DIF methods was determined using classification consistency and matching percentages. Results show that CCLOR and Mantel agreed perfectly in detecting gender DIF items. SMD, on the other hand, had a moderate to high agreement with the two other DIF techniques. The agreement among the DIF methods was lower when DIF effect size was considered.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has limited use in biomedical applications due to its poor wettability and low adhesion strength. Enhancing these properties through modification via plasma treatment coupled with grafting can further improve its surface properties ideal for biomedical applications. In this study, hydrophilic PTFE samples were successfully realized using a modified 2.45 GHz microwave oven as the plasma treatment device followed by grafting copolymerization using acrylic acid (AAc). This resulted to an increase in surface free energy (SFE) where samples subjected to air plasma treatment and AAc grafting exhibited the largest increase in SFE of 58 mJ m−2 compared to 17 mJ m−2 for the untreated samples. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed new functional groups in the O1s and C1s regions of PTFE after plasma treatment and grafting. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed increase in surface roughness with the largest value of 67.7 nm found in air plasma-treated and grafted samples compared to 20.9 nm for the untreated PTFE sample. The plasma-treated and grafted PTFE surfaces did not exhibit hydrophobic recovery during a 7 d observation period as compared to plasma-treated samples only. The effective combination of plasma treatment and grafting process would broaden potential applications of PTFE as a biomaterial.

The Iraya Mangyans form one of the eight indigenous ethnolinguistic groups on the island of Mindoro, which is located off the southwestern coast of Luzon. This thesis presents a description of the grammar of the language spoken by the Iraya Mangyans, particularly in the northwestern part of Oriental Mindoro.

There have been few studies on the Iraya Mangyan language, and most of the linguistic studies, which do include this language, deal with its genetic relationship with other Mangyan languages and with other Philippine languages (Zorc, 1974; Barbian, 1977; and Reid, 2017). To date, the most extensive description of the language was made by Tweddell (1958), however, it is only limited to the description of Iraya phonology and morphology.

This study seeks to present a more comprehensive grammar of the language by revisiting the phonological and morphological structure of the language, and by describing the syntactic patterns and operations in Iraya. Some of the noteworthy features of the language include the lack of case markers, the lack of distinction between dual and plural personal pronouns in terms of case, the use of grammaticalized gender markers, and the limited productivity of aspectual marking on verbs through affixation. There is also no overt relativizing morpheme in the language, and the relative clause is simply juxtaposed to the head noun that it modifies.

As with most Philippine languages, Iraya is a primarily predicate-initial language. However, in cases where the actor is encoded as a personal pronoun, there is a strong preference for it to appear in the pre-verbal position.

Word order is relatively strict in this language. The grammatical relations of arguments can be discerned from the semantic roles they play within the sentence, their position within the sentence, and the focus affix attached to the verb. The strict word order in the language is hypothesized to be due to the lack of differentiation in the case marking of core arguments within the sentence.

This thesis consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the language and provides an overview of the language situation of the Iraya Mangyans of Oriental Mindoro. Chapter 2 provides a review of previous studies on this language, with particular attention paid to Tweddell’s description of Iraya phonology and morphology. Chapter 3 introduces the phonemic inventory of the language and the morphophonological processes that occur in the language. Chapter 4 presents the categorization of morphemes and the various word formation processes in Iraya.  Specific grammatical categories such as the case, number, and gender of nouns, as well as aspect, focus, and modality of verbs are discussed in this chapter as well. Chapter 5 presents the phrasal and clausal structures in Iraya. Syntactic operations such as coordination and subordination are also discussed. Finally, Chapter 6 presents a summary and implications of the current findings, as well as recommendations for future studies on the language.