Publications

This book proposes entanglement as a useful idiom for understanding the contemporary Manila theatre. Drawing on its Tagalog counterpart, buhol-buhol, entanglement is conceived not only as a juxtaposition among elements, but also as a process of muddling and snaring. Taken together, these affirm the entangled character of contemporary Manila theatre in overlapping representations, histories, relationships and genres, while at the same time marking some problematic limitations in the treatment of chosen subjects by Manilan artists. The reason for this is that while these entanglements render Manila theatre far more complex than the accusations of mimicry and inauthenticity frequently leveled at Filipino culture, artists are often caught up in a more intractable buhol-buhol than they are willing or able to recognize. Four figures of buhol-buhol are identified in this book: pista (fiesta), kapuluan (archipelago), patibong (trap), and nangingibang-bayan (overseas-worker). In conceptualizing these figures of entanglement, the discussions start by illustrating their materiality and performativity before proceeding to reflections about how these are directed towards the complexity of Manila theatre.

High aspect ratio silver nanowires (Ag NWs) were successfully synthesized by CuCl2-mediated synthesis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction were employed to investigate the morphology and structure of the Ag products, respectively. Suspensions of Ag NW in ethanol were coated on glass substrates by Meyer rod coating to fabricate transparent conducting electrodes (TCE’s). The electrodes were then plasma treated at a power of 75 W. The effects of increasing plasma treatment time and oxygen exposure on the sheet resistance of the transparent electrodes were investigated. A sheet resistance of 8 $Ømega$/sq with an optical transmittance of 80 % at 550nm was obtained for an electrode with a nanowire density of 0.18 mg/cm2 after 5 mins of plasma (Ar) exposure.

This randomized, single-masked, controlled trial examined the effects of nutrient-fortified milk-based formula supplementation on nutritional status, nutrient intake, and psychomotor skills of selected preschool children with mean age of 4.10 ± 0.14 years. The study participants were divided equally into three major groups, normal, underweight, and severely underweight based on WHO-Child Growth Standards, and were further divided into two groups: fortified milk group who was given two glasses of fortified milk (50 g of powdered milk/serving) a day for twelve weeks in addition to their usual diet and the nonintervention group who was not given fortified milk and thus maintained their usual intake. Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake, and psychomotor developmental score were analyzed. Results showed that consumption of two servings of fortified milk a day for twelve weeks significantly increased the height of preschool children by 1.40 cm, weight by 1.35 kg, body mass index by 0.96 kg/m², mid-upper arm circumference by 0.66 cm, and psychomotor scores by 13.74% more than those children who did not consume fortified milk (). Hence, fortified milk-based supplement in the diet of preschool children improved overall nutritional status, nutrient intake, and performance in psychomotor scale. This study is registered in Philippine Health Research Registry: PHRR140923-000234.

The effects of radio-frequency (RF) argon (Ar) plasma treatment on the structural, morphological, electrical and compositional properties of the spray-pyrolyzed p-type copper oxide films on n-type (100) silicon (Si) substrates were investigated. The films were successfully synthesized using 0.3 M copper acetate monohydrate sprayed on precut Si substrates maintained at 350 °C. X-ray diffraction revealed cupric oxide (CuO) with a monoclinic structure. An apparent improvement in crystallinity was realized after Ar plasma treatment, attributed to the removal of residues contaminating the surface. Scanning electron microscope images showed agglomerated monoclinic grains and revealed a reduction in size upon plasma exposure induced by the sputtering effect. The current–voltage characteristics of CuO/Si showed a rectifying behavior after Ar plasma exposure with an increase in turn-on voltage. Four-point probe measurements revealed a decrease in sheet resistance after plasma irradiation. Fourier transform infrared spectral analyses also showed O–H and C–O bands on the films. This work was able to produce CuO thin films via spray pyrolysis on Si substrates and enhancement in their properties by applying postdeposition Ar plasma treatment.

This study aimed to determine the effect of the mixing speed and pre-polymer dropping rate during synthesis of microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs), and to assess the performance of MEPCM-incorporated paint as a latent heat storage (LHS) system. N-octadecane as phase change material was encapsulated with resorcinol-modified urea- melamine-formaldehyde at two different mixing speeds and four different pre-polymer dropping rates, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was done to confirm success of microencapsulation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that increasing the homogenization speed and decreasing the pre-polymer dropping rate decreases the microcapsule size. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that latent heat and encapsulation ratio increases with increasing mixing speed and decreasing pre-polymer dropping rate. The synthesized MEPCMs were incorporated into white paint at three different concentrations, and temperature profiling revealed that the paint’s temperature buffering capacity generally increases with increasing mixing speed, decreasing pre-polymer dropping rate and increasing MEPCM concentration.

Natural fiber reinforced polymer (NFRP) composites have been a focus of various research projects because of their advantages compared to traditional fiber reinforced plastics. In this study, Anahaw (Saribus rotundifolius) was used as fiber source because it is abundant in the Philippines. The fibers were treated by immersing in a sodium alginate solution and then in a calcium chloride solution. The treated fibers were used to reinforce the orthophthalic unsaturated polyester. Mechanical properties were tested using a universal testing machine (UTM) and the fracture surfaces were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Sodium alginate treatment resulted in higher tensile and flexural strengths of the composites as compared to those reinforced with untreated fibers. On the other hand, the sodium alginate treatment was not able to show any improvement on the wet mechanical properties of the material. The increase in fiber load was also found to increase the stiffness of the composites. The measured stiffness and modulus of the treated Anahaw fiber-reinforced composite was found to be comparable to those of commercially available particle boards and fiber boards.