PUP Journal of Science and Technology (PUPJST) is an open-access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal published by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines; providing publication of articles in all areas of science, engineering, and technology. The journal welcomes submissions from all researchers, regardless of their geographic location or institutional affiliation. PUPJST publishes original scientific papers and application-focused articles, reviews, short communications, and narrative reports from recently accomplished research from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to: Agricultural Sciences - crop and livestock production, sustainable agriculture, soil science, and agronomy Forestry and Fisheries - Sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, aquaculture, marine ecology, and fisheries management Life Sciences - Biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, genetics, and biotechnology Food Sciences, Nutrition, and Dietetics - Food processing, food safety, human nutrition, and dietary studies Environmental Sciences - Conservation, climate change, pollution management, and sustainability Computing and Information Sciences - Artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, software engineering, and emerging technologies. Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology - Applied mathematics, engineering innovations, robotics, renewable energy, and smart technologies Publication frequency: The journal is published once a year. Print ISSN: 1908-9058 Online ISSN: 2546-0749 Email Address: pupjst@pup.edu.ph / pupjst@gmail.com
Polytechnic University of the Philippinnes
A Graph-Theoretical Analysis of Student Friendship Networks Across Senior High School Tracks in a Public School Using Gephi Software
To effectively promote inclusiveness and cooperation in a diverse school setting, it is crucial to grasp the dynamics of friendship formation among students. This study applied the principles of graph theory and social network analysis to investigate the friendship patterns of senior high school students in a school in the City of Malolos. It aimed to describe connection patterns, identify key bridging individuals, and assess the overall cohesiveness of the department’s social structure. The study employed peer nomination techniques to gather data from 597 students. The data were analyzed using the Gephi software package. The results of the study showed that every student has, on average, five close ties, resulting in a moderately dense but highly interconnected network. The modularity value of 0.678 revealed strong natural clustering along the academic strands, with inter-strand ties still visible. The centrality analysis revealed students who act as bridging actors to facilitate communication across the groups. The study concludes that the overall network structure is balanced and inclusive despite the divisions along the academic strands.
Copyright (c) 2026 PUP Journal of Science & Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Nitrate Adsorption onto Unmodified Calcium–AlginateBeads: Equilibrium Behaviour and Adsorption Constraints
Excessive nitrate contamination in water bodies due to agricultural runoff and aquaculture effluents poses a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and drinking water safety. Thus, a sustainable and cost-effective treatment technology is required. This study investigated the effectiveness and the adsorption mechanism of neat alginate beads for nitrate removal from aqueous solution. Alginate beads were synthesized via crosslinking a 2 wt% alginate solution in a 5 wt% CaCl2 solution and subsequently tested in batch experiments using nitrate solutions ranging from 10 to 100 ppm. The objectives of this study were to identify the most effective adsorbent dosage, ranging from 1 to 20 g, and determine the best-fitting equilibrium isotherm model. The results showed that the nitrate removal efficiency peaked at ~35% at the most effective dosage of 5 g. No significant improvement was observed at higher dosages due to bead aggregation. Isotherm analysis indicated the Langmuir model provided the best fit of R2 = 0.9701. This confirmed that adsorption was dominated by a monolayer mechanism on uniform sites. The calculated maximum adsorption capacity for the neat alginate was 0.414 mg/g. This was lower than the capacities achieved by modified alginate composites reported in literature. This indicated that the inherent functional groups of pure alginate beads were inadequate for practical, high-efficiency nitrate remediation. This highlighted the critical need for chemical modification or utilization of alginate in immobilized biological systems to enhance affinity and achieve competitive performance for nitrate removal.
Tengku Faris Imran bin Tengku Amirruzaini
Application of Earth Mover’s Distance Algorithm for Gesture Recognition of American Sign Language Hand Gesture
This study utilizes computer vision in the interpretation of static and dynamic human gestures for the American Sign Language. This is another way of communicating by people who understands and do not understand American Sign Language. They propose the application of Earth Mover’s Distance, which is define as distance between two feature descriptors by the minimal amount of work needed to transform one into the other. It is use for the recognition of static and dynamic gesture for American Sign Language of users with different hand shape and orientation.
Design, Control and Implementation of Robotic Shoulder Girdle Using Electro Pneumatic System
The proponents used the concept of pneumatic actuators such as cylinders and rotary actuators to represent the muscles of human shoulder girdle. The pneumatic system is ideal in carrying heavy loads which need a great force to sustain. The proponents also used the directional solenoid valve to drive the pneumatic actuator’s motion. The valve has the ability to hold the air inside the cylinder because it traps the air from escaping the cylinder; thus, the proponents can maintain the position of the pneumatic actuator to achieve the desired angle of the robotic shoulder girdle. A wearable controller is also designed to measure the angle of DOF for the human movement. Through this the robot can mimic the different DOF movement of humans as well as providing enough force to carry the weight.
Comparison of Harris Performance as Activation Function to Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU), Leaky ReLU, and Tanh in Convolutional Neural Network for Image Classification
Activation functions (AFs) are the building blocks of a deep neural network (DNN) to perform image classification effectively by handling nonlinear data and extracting complex features and patterns. This paper introduces a new activation function (AF) called “Harris” a piecewise and nonlinear nonmonotonic AF inspired from the field of photonics. The AF was integrated to a simple convolutional neural network (CNN) using Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR-10) dataset to determine the model’s performance in terms of accuracy in training and testing, image classification capability, and feature extraction. Harris was able to exceed the leaky Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) and hyperbolic tangent function (tanh) target accuracies from α-values −0.80 to −1.00 in image classification, while the testing accuracies were able to exceed the target accuracies of ReLU from α-values −0.80 to −0.95. It was able to handle negative values solving the dead neuron problem and extract complex features through its feature maps which improve the F1-scores of the CNN model in image classification.
Copyright (c) 2025 PUP Journal of Science & Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
IncuVision: Android-Based Egg Incubator with Machine Learning Algorithm using OpenCV
The poultry industry is a key part of the Philippines' agricultural sector, with chicken eggs playing a vital role. Traditional methods of assessing egg fertility, such as manual candling, are time-consuming and prone to human error. Despite advancements, local poultry farms still rely on manual methods, lacking automated and real-time monitoring systems, resulting in unreliable evaluations. This study developed IncuVision, an Android-based egg incubator application that uses machine learning and OpenCV to enhance egg monitoring and fertility detection. The app provides real-time data on egg status, monitors embryo development stages, and generates data visualizations. The system was evaluated through feedback from IT faculty, an advisory committee, and egg farmers, focusing on functional suitability, performance efficiency, reliability, and usability. The system achieved a General Weighted Mean (GWM) of 4.30, highlighting its success in delivering an efficient, user-friendly, and reliable tool for egg incubation monitoring. These findings demonstrate the app’s potential to modernize hatchery operations through automated monitoring and real-time notifications. SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure by introducing intelligent digital solutions that modernize agricultural practices, promote the use of innovative technologies, and strengthen infrastructure in the poultry sector through automation and real-time data systems. The integration of AI and mobile technology can help optimize incubation processes and foster more sustainable and technologically advanced poultry farming practices.
Capacitive Deionization (CDI): An Environmentally Friendly Water Purification Technique
A porous carbon electrode for capacitive deionization was prepared by a simple screen printing technique. Polymeric binder suspension was utilized to form a solid activated carbon-based electrode. The prepared carbon electrode electrochemical property and specific capacitance were analyzed using a three-electrode cyclic voltammetry system. The specific capacitance of the developed electrode was almost identical even at various set scan rate and NaCl solution concentration, an indication of the electrode having constant ion adsorption capacity. Thus validated the experimental results, which clearly showed that the ion adsorption capacity of the fabricated electrode presents slight difference at different NaCl solution concentrations, wherein the highest ion adsorption capacity of 6.2 mg/g was achieved in 818 mg/L NaCl solution initial concentration.
Copyright (c) 2018 PUP Journal of Science and Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Data Security of Encrypted Data Using Hash-Based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) and T9-Based Data Conversion
The researcher has recently been working on the authenticity of information particularly with the use of cryptographic hash functions such as MD5 and Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA). After critically analyzing the Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) algorithm, the researcher finds out that it can still be improved and strengthened by adding the T9 conversion, which also adds more complexity and security to the system. T9 keypad-based conversion is used in converting the data and this pre-converted data would then pass through the process of encryption using HMAC encryption algorithm. This work focuses on following the cryptosystem design, and includes the study of the activity process and procedures, as well as the method of the proposed system. Cryptography key, plaintext, message security, cipher, message authentication code, and hash function are the major activities that go with the cryptosystems. The study uses the incremental model approach to generate and illustrate the system functions and architecture of this project. The resulting system is a new algorithm developed using hypertext preprocessor (PHP) in a form of Library PHP file by the researcher for securing the integrity and authenticity of the data. It provides high security of text data with the use of authentication process integrated with the new researcher-developed T9 encryption decryption process.
Neutralizing Ability of Andrographis paniculata (burm.f.) Wall. Ex Nees Stem and Leaves Ethanolic Extract Against Neurotoxicity Induced by Naja philippinensis Taylor, 1922 Venom Based on Histological Changes in Danio rerio (f. Hamilton, 1822) Gills and Liver
The need for promising alternative sources of snake antivenin has placed a growing interest in utilizing pharmacologically active compounds derived from medicinal plants capable of inhibiting the deleterious effects of snake venom. This study evaluated the ability of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees in neutralizing the toxicity of Naja philippinensis Taylor, 1922 venom. Mature stem and leaves of A. paniculata were subjected to ethanolic extraction, and the extract was converted to powdered form through lyophilization. Ethanolic fraction was water soluble, and phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of N. philippinensis venom to Danio rerio (F. Hamilton, 1822), more commonly known as zebrafish, was 2.71±0.04 ppm. Seizures, hypolocomotion and paralysis were observed signifying the neurotoxic property of the venom. In-vitro neutralization of the venom LC50 with increasing concentrations of the extract was performed. The lethality inhibition within 24 hour exposure was used to express the median effective concentration (EC50-24h) of the crude extract. The lethality inhibition within 24 hours upon exposure was used to express the median effective concentration (EC50-24h) of the crude extract. Results showed that venom neutralization by A. paniculata ethanolic extract started at 77.64±0.82 ppm (EC50-24h). Histopathological analysis was employed in order to assess and compare the tissue damage induced by raw venom, with those induced by venom treated with various extract concentrations. Raw venom induced irreversible tissue damage in the gills and liver of exposed zebrafish. In contrast, venom treated with extract in higher concentration induced non-lethal alterations. The antivenom potential of A. paniculata has been demonstrated. Thorough investigation is highly recommended to elucidate the actual mechanism of its pharmacologically active compounds in neutralizing snake venom.
Geographic Information System-Assisted Approach in Soil Erosion Hotspot Assessment of Banga Microcatchment
The study aimed to characterize the biophysical environment of the microcatchment, predict soil loss (t/ha/yr.), quantify soil loss for six months, estimate carbon and primary nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) loss of major land uses using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) modified through Manifold System Version 8.0 and recommend doable mitigating measures. The Sibalew-Torralba Microcatchment (431.87 ha) is located in Banga, Aklan (122°19'845" and 122°19'449" East Longitude, 11°32"329" and 11°32'586" North Latitude). The two soil types were Sigcay and San Manuel clay loam with compacted surface value of 1.33-147g/cm, a pH of 4.7-6.1; with low N, P, K but medium in soil organic matter (SOM). The microcatchment belonged to Type III climate with mean annual rainfall of 2,183.47 mm. The topography is flat to undulating, rolling, and steep slopes. There are seven major land uses namely agricultural land, mixed vegetation, orchard/agroforestry, coconut-based, grassland, built-up, and water tributaries. Results revealed that the average soil loss at different land utilization types (LUT) was 159.51-1205.32 t/ha/yr. The average actual soil loss range from 19.98-1074.06 kg/ha for six months. Soil erosion hotspots (high-very high soil loss category) was predicted in four LUTs: agricultural land (upland rice, 206.29-618.73 t/ha/yr.; mix vegetation (natural vegetation, fruit trees associated with banana, and corn-vegetables, 75.15, 87.04 and 913.78 t/ha/yr., respectively); coconut-based (coconut-based perennial and mahogany, with underneath of upland rice, 96.37 and 154.77 t/ha/yr.), and built-up (institutional and roads going to provincial roads, 41.69 and 70.42-332.09 t/ha/yr.). Further, carbon loss range from 2.60 to 137.26 kg/ha/6 months; available N loss range from 3.65-172.27 kg/ha/6 months; available P loss range from 74.13-9297.25 kg/ha/mo. while exchangeable K loss range from 8.42-452.39 kg/ha/yr. Thus, application of best crop and soil conservation management practices (natural farming/organic farming and multi-story fruit based agroforestry) is recommended to mitigate soil erosion.
Excessive and wasteful use of power in addition to the continuous growth in population has stressed the supply of primary available energy resources. These resources, while damaging the earth’s environment, may not be able to meet the future needs for energy. A great shortage of energy is being experienced nowadays. It is necessary that it should be acquired or captured, saved, conditioned and be used through different techniques. One of these promising energy sources is ocean energy. In this project, the waves typically have low power so that storage became an important consideration to maintain a consistent power output. By submerging a floater, it forms fluctuations. The force of the floater above the water is fluctuating as the water rises and falls, driving a floater by using a pedal which passes the energy through a rotating wheel to the dynamo to generate electricity. This project provides a brief review of ocean waves and their potential as green energy surrogate to conventional energy sources. The basic wave energy conversion is discussed to provide an overview of the fundamentals related to the field. Nevertheless, the existing crisis of the country requires appropriate selection of renewable energy solutions. Ocean wave energy has the potential and is expected to contribute in the future needs for energy.
Automated Cell Counter for Dunaliella Under Laboratory Condition
In order to maximize the potential of Dunaliella sp. as feedstock for biodiesel production, the laboratory culture conditions must be fully understood to obtain high yield and good quality lipids. However, optimizing culture conditions need rigorous daily monitoring of algal growth that entails time-consuming protocol like manual counting of cells under the microscope. This research developed a cost-effective system that utilizes Haar Cascade Algorithm as classifier, to automatically count Dunaliella sp. cells in order to calculate the culture cell density and generate data through graphs. The Automated Cell Counter has a percentage accuracy of 87.75% and percentage performance of 87.75% using F-measure (F1-score). Moreover, the precision (exactness) of the system and recall (sensitivity of the classifier) has values of 72.76% and 71.3%, respectively. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that the calculated cell density from automated cell counting and from manual counting done by domain experts of Dunaliella sp. is not significantly different (α0.05<0.609). Therefore, the Haar Cascade Algorithm can be used as classifier to count Dunaliella sp. cells.
Design and Development of a Crab Shell Granulating Machine
This study investigated the performance of a developed crab shell granulating machine for organic fertilizer production. Various parameters were tested in terms of operating conditions of the machine and its actual performance in terms of granulating rate and efficiency. The dried blue crab shells were used as the raw materials for performance testing. The properties of the final product output were tested to determine its properties. Results revealed that the operating speed of the machine was 1200 rpm, with an operating capacity of 750 g, and granulating time of 89 seconds. The average granulating rate and efficiency were 8.07 g/s and 96%, respectively. Laboratory analyses showed that the nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium contents of the product output were 4.05%, 1.13%, and 0%, respectively. The obtained nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium values were comparable to their theoretical values and can be considered as potential organic fertilizer. The moisture content of 7.45% and pH level of 8.85 (standard range of 6.6 to 9.5) were also acceptable for application. Further study may be conducted focusing on the application of the product output to various vegetable crops to determine the effectiveness of the crab meal fertilizer.
Flooding Incidence at Aklan River as Affected by Rainfall
The Philippines is among the most vulnerable countries in terms of disaster and climate change scenario. Based on previous studies, the provinces in the Philippines are classified according to their vulnerability to temperature change, rainfall change, typhoons, El Niño and flooding incidence. The province of Aklan is included as one of the provinces with high risk related to rainfall change. A 24-hour rainfall of 206.4 mm in December 2005, 246.80 mm in December 2010, and 202.80 mm in November 2011, resulted to flooding in the municipality of Kalibo and a 305.30 mm rain in June 2008 had caused severe damage to the low-lying areas of the region. But rainfall of only 124.6 mm in December 2012 had inundated some areas of the province. This was due to the incidence of high tide which prevented the river from emptying into the sea. Based on the result of this study, recurring typhoons and increased precipitation were experienced in the province of Aklan specifically during the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan (November and December). There is a weak positive correlation between rainfall and height of water at the Aklan River as indicated by r2 value of 0.011. This result suggests that changes in the independent variable (rainfall) are not associated with changes in the dependent variable (height of water). More rain and cooler temperature were noted in summer (March 2012) while least relative humidity, higher temperature, and least rainfall were recorded in August (Habagat season), and temperature ranged from 24.3 to 31.9 0C. More rainfall was observed in Madalag (295.8 mm), followed by Banga (263.0 mm) and Kalibo (243.0 mm) for 2012-2013. Based on a ten-year rainfall data, abundant rain was observed in June, September to December and started to decline from January to May and August. Aklan has a mean annual rainfall of 3,325.6 mm while mean temperature is 30.90C. Dry Spell condition occurred in 2014 since from January to June, rainfall was almost below to way below normal rainfall condition, based on the criteria set by PAGASA.
Preliminary Assessment Of Water Quality Of Donata Falls In Polillo, Quezon, Philippines Using Macrobenthos
The macrobenthos distribution and productivity are directly influenced by physico-chemical parameters of freshwater systems which make them a good bioindicator. This study presented a preliminary assessment of Donata Falls to provide baseline information regarding its aquatic health status. No significant differences were observed among parameters measured, which include dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH and temperature. Based on the mean values of total nitrogen (14.09 ppm) and phosphorus (0.11 ppm), falls can be classified as oligotrophic. Macrobenthos were collected using bucket method. The macrobenthos community represents 1 species under Class Gastropoda, 2 species under Order Coleoptera, 3 species under Order Odonata and 1 species under Order Oligochaeta, Ephemeroptera and Tricoptera. Nerita sp. under Class Gastropoda obtained the highest abundance (37.03%) followed by Family Coenagrionidae under Order Odonata with 24.07% abundance. Abundance of these organisms would suggest that the falls has a good water condition. Family biotic index (FBI), biological monitoring working party (BMWP) and average score per taxon (ASPT) were also calculated. The average FBI value was 1.50 suggesting that there is no apparent organic pollution in the area. Moreover, BMWP score (65.6) and ASPT score (6.56) indicate that the falls has moderate to clean water condition.
Occurrence of Lead, Cadmium and Mercury in Seaweeds from Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines
Eating seaweeds have many nutritional benefits to the body. Seaweeds also have many industrial uses such as bioremediation of polluted water. Batangas, Philippines is an industrial province located near the coast where seaweeds are abundant. This study is on the occurrence of heavy metals in seaweeds taken from Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines, and shows that all of the seaweeds tested are within the international food standard limitation except for one Caulerpa lentillifera sample. Moreover, estimated daily intake and health hazard calculation do not indicate potential health risks.
Copyright (c) 2025 PUP Journal of Science and Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Lung Disease Identification and Classification Through Neural Networks
Public hospitals lack attending doctors who can interpret X-ray films thus, making patients wait for long hours just to get the test results. This study uses Neural Networks in identifying and classifying lung diseases based on X-ray image samples. The network can make the process of recognizing the disease faster, and doctors can just verify the result that the system has given. The chest X-ray samples were gathered from different hospitals around Metro Manila. These image samples were resized and had undergone image processing. Ten distinct points were acquired from each image using the Principal Component Analysis. All the points obtained from the images were placed in a single mat file. This mat file acts as the input data for the training of the Neural Network in the MatLab software. There are two hidden layers and has 10 neurons for each. The network type used is Feed-forward, Levenberg-Marquardt back-propagation with trainlm as the training function. The adaption learning function and performance function used are learngdm and Mean Square Error (MSE), respectively. The Neural Network training state, performance and regression were shown. From the total of 206 inputs, 186 of those were correctly classified according to their disease. The Pleural Effusion has the highest accuracy with 94.87% and the Normal has the lowest with 79.31%.
Copyright (c) 2015 PUP Journal of Science and Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Storage Stability And Quality Evaluation Of Coconut Water–Fruit Juice Blends
The development of an acceptable juice blend with mature coconut water as a full water substitute into a ready-to-drink beverage was investigated in this study. Mature coconut water was mixed with fruit juices of pineapple, orange and soursop (guyabano), separately and at varying ratios, to come up with a juice blend. Acceptability was determined through sensory evaluation. The best formulation of each juice blend were found to be as follows: Coconut water-Orange Blend 30:70 ratio; Coconut water-Pineapple Blend 40:60 ratio; and Coconut water-Soursop Blend 60:40 ratio. Storage stability was conducted on the most acceptable formulation from each fruit juice blend. Stored for 7 weeks at 4-5oC, the product samples yielded a decrease in Vitamin C content, more prominently in soursop blend. Physicochemical changes during storage did not affect product acceptance; the samples were still acceptable after the storage period. Microbial activity remained below limits hence thermal processing and level of acidity were found adequate. The proximate composition was comparative with recent studies.
Utilization of Selected Urban Wastes as Substrate Solutions in the Growth and Yield Performance of Pleurotus sajor-caju (fr.) Singer (gray oyster mushroom)
Mushrooms are being cultivated worldwide for its nutritional and medicinal value. Agricultural wastes rich in lignocellulosic substances are commonly used as substrates for mushroom cultivation. Moreover, selected urban wastes that contain lignocellulosic substances are also potential substrates which when utilized can help lessen wastes in the environment. This study tested the possible utilization of selected urban wastes as solution substrates for the growth and yield performance of Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer. Four different urban waste substrates (banana peels, newspaper, cotton textile scraps and mixture of leaf litters) and their combinations were used in the study with sawdust which served as the control. Percentage of mycelial growth, colonization period, primordial formation, harvesting time, number of fruiting bodies, cap diameter, stalk length, total yield and size of the mushroom and biological efficiency of the substrates used were assessed to determine the effects on growth and yield. Results revealed that the substrate with 50% newspaper + 50% sawdust showed rapid colonization, fast primordial formation and earliest harvest day and obtained the highest yield of mushroom and biological efficiency. Mushrooms did not proliferate mostly in the substrates with the combinations of leaf litter, however, 25% leaf litter + 75% sawdust produced less yield of mushrooms. The least yield of mushrooms was from the substrate with 100% cotton textile scraps. Other combinations used in the study are effective substrates in cultivating P. sajor-caju, but have different average number and yield of mushrooms produced. The study demonstrated that faster mycelial growth is consistent with better yield of the mushroom and highest biological efficiency of the substrate.
Influence of Yeast, Chicken Manure and Daily Feeding of Chlorella ellipsoidea in the Population Growth of Moina micrura
The total number of broods produced, daily fecundity and the size-class distributions of Moina micrura were determined in a four-day culture experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of rearing M. micrura in six culture methods. This study shows that addition of yeast, chicken manure and daily feeding of Chlorella ellipsoidea are the effective protocols in culturing M. micrura, which produced a significantly higher number of individuals (708 ± 66 individuals) compared with no yeast, no chicken manure and non-daily feeding of C. ellipsoidea. Higher production of M. micrura in chicken manure could be attributed to bacteria proliferation, which serves as additional food for the zooplankters, as well as to the products synthesized by bacteria to enhance growth. Daily feeding of C. ellipsoidea also contributed to high brood production of M. micrura, which may be attributed to the presence of certain nutrients necessary for growth and development of cladocerans. The proportion of neonates, juveniles and adults did not differ significantly among treatments but the lengths of developmental stages were significantly different among the treatments. Knowing the size-class distribution of M. micrura is important since this would allow determination of appropriate feed for fish with various gape sizes.
Influence Of Varying Mix Design And Fiber Length On The Properties Of Water Hyacinth Particle Board
This study is focused on the investigation of the influence of varying mix design and fiber length on the properties of water hyacinth particleboard. A total of nine mixtures were considered using three resin-fiber ratio (70:30, 75:25 and 80:20) and three varying fiber lengths (13 mm, 26 mm and 52 mm) to produce 30 cm by 30 cm by 1.2 cm sample boards. The samples were prepared and tested for Water Absorption and Thickness Swelling Test, Modulus of Rupture Test, Face Screw Holding Strength Test, Internal Bond Strength Test and Edge Screw Holding Strength Test based on the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards – 320 (PAES – 320) for Type 100 particleboards. Based on the test results, the amount of resin and the size of fibers used in the mix have an influence on the physical and mechanical properties of the particleboard. The more resin used in the mix the lesser the particleboard absorbs water. Moreover, the use of large amount of resin makes the particleboard brittle. On the other hand, the use of small and long fibers in the mix showed a significant effect on the properties of the board. Incorporating smaller sizes of fibers causes higher thickness swelling due to the larger exposed contact area that absorbs water. Consequently, the use of short fibers resulted to a low holding strength in the board and less continuous bond in the fibers, while the use of longer fibers caused difficulty and consistency in the mix which affected the even distribution of the binder. Hence, voids are formed causing lower strength in the particleboard. Generally, the particleboards having a resin-fiber ratio of 70:30 with 26 mm fiber length reinforcement exhibited the best performance among the nine mixtures satisfying the PAES - 320 for Type 100 high-density particleboard.
Enhanced Centroids Initialization Of K-Means Algorithm For Fixed Asset Monitoring
This research developed a new method of initializing centroids for K-means algorithm and applied in determining the status of the fixed asset. The new method introduced the comparator function to determine the appropriate initial centroids and proved to be more efficient than the standard K-means. Since the initial seeds of the traditional K-means algorithm are chosen randomly leading to more looping and computational time, the improved method is proposed to eliminate the unspecified selection of the initial cluster and reduce inconsistency in the final clustering. The major responsibility of the Asset Management Office (AMO) is to determine the maintenance level of various equipment of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). However, with a lot of equipment it managed, some are not properly maintained and this resulted to a very costly repair. In order to implement the proper repair to the equipment, the age factor based on the depreciation and usage factor of the physical asset are utilized in the Enhanced Initialization of Centroids for K-means algorithm. The clustering result of the new method produced more consistent level of maintenance. Once the equipment is clustered using the new method, that same equipment is no longer clustered into another level of maintenance unlike the standard K means, and this is how the author defined duplicates. Local optimization or convergence of clustering is faster in the new method as compared to the old K-means algorithm. This has been developed to solve the problem of AMO, knowing the status of the equipment based on age and usage factors to determine what is the proper level of maintenance (major or minor repair) with the higher percentage of consistency in the clustering of equipment is needed in the fixed asset monitoring. The enhanced centroids initialization of K-means is adapted by the AMO of the PUP in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The fixed asset monitoring application was developed using Java Eclipse obtaining actual data from a database using Mysql. To test the proposed algorithm, the fixed asset monitoring system also implemented the standard initialization of K-means algorithm for comparison. The test yielded more favorable results using the enhanced centroid initialization using new method based on speed and reduced number of duplicates, making the new method of fixed assets monitoring application more efficient and consistent. The data used are filtered and finalized by AMO. These are the following: (1) acknowledgement receipt for equipment for the years 2009, 2012, and 2014 with the acquisition date and acquisition cost of the ICT equipment; (2) office equipment and the inventory report of motor vehicle in 2016 with the description of utility vehicle containing the acquisition cost, date and status of running condition.
A Web-Based Water Quality Prediction And Decision Support System for the Early Developmental Stage of Holuthuria scabra (Jaeger, 1833) Utilizing Bayesian Networks
Holuthuria scabra is a high valued marine species in the Philippines. During its early developmental stage, the larvae depends on the water quality of the larval tank in order to survive. But as the quality of the larvae tank changes unpredictably, only 2% of the larvae survived into a juvenile. This research aims to develop a decision support system (DSS) using Bayesian Networks, which predicts the water quality of the larval tank during the early developmental stage of H. scabra and provides suggestion on the amount of water to be added to the larval tanks to maintain an optimum water quality. Using Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) to compute the forecast accuracy (FA), results show 84.37%, 88.44% and 88.44% accuracy in forecasting the salinity level, dissolved oxygen level and temperature, respectively and an overall FA of 87.08%. The FA in predicting the salinity level is significantly lower than the FA in predicting the dissolved oxygen level and temperature due to lack of variation on the training data. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) show that there is no significant difference (∝0.05<0.2576) between the advice of the DSS and human experts in the amount of water needed to be added to the larval tank.
Coral Cover and Fish Abundance in Sicogon Island, Northern Iloilo, Philippines
Corals are tiny animals called polyps that live in colonies underwater, either in patches or extensive reefs. The country has an estimated 27,000 km2 of coral reef with only about 5% of this area still in excellent condition. The coral reefs provide high primary productivity and high fishery yields for food security, coastal protection, tourism, education, research and aesthetic value. Sicogon Island is an island in northern Iloilo Province, which is part of the municipality of Carles and it is approximately 140 kilometers from Iloilo City. It is comprised of three barangays namely Buaya, San Fernando and Alipata with an estimated coral reef area of 9.5 hectares. The existing live hard coral reef cover in Sicogon Island, Carles, Iloilo is in fair to good condition (40.44% - 65.51%). In four sites surveyed, fringing reefs off-shore of Brgy. Alipata and Brgy. San Fernando were in good coral cover condition while the two sites in Brgy. Buaya (Timberland and Purok 2) surveyed were in fair condition. The reef fish’s abundance and density in the reefs of four sites were low and fishes belong to Pomacentridae family (damsel fish) dominated the fishes observed in the area. This study will serve as baseline data to be used by the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC), Sicogon Development Corporation (SIDECO) as well as for the LGU – Carles in the formulation of comprehensive management plan to sustainably protect and conserve this most precious resource.
Mycelial Growth and Fructification of Auricularia polytricha on Different Substrates
Auricularia polytricha is a wood-rotting mushroom known for being one of the edible mushrooms, and recognized for its nutraceutical and pharmaceutical properties. To domesticate this species, the most favorable conditions for its mycelial growth and yield was evaluated in various culture media, grain spawn and fruiting substrates. The results revealed that A. polytricha cultured in coconut water gelatin (CWG) had the fastest mycelial ramification (6.33 days), and the thickest and highest mycelial growth at 13.17 mm/day. For spawn grain production, sweet sorghum produced the fastest mycelial run among grains at 5.0 days, had the highest mycelial growth at 16 mm/day, and had the thickest mycelia. For fruiting bodies production, the combination of good lumber sawdust, rice bran and lime (GLS:RB:L) had the fastest mycelial run at 30.33 days, highest mycelial growth (10.0 mm/day), yield (254.0 g) and biological efficiency (30.79%).
Development of Biogas Scrubber Using Water Purification System
Biogas can be used in the production of electricity, for heating and cooking. In compressed form, it can be used to replace compressed natural gas used in vehicles, such that it can fuel an internal combustion engine or fuel cells. Cleaning of gas is necessary to meet the pipeline quality requirement. The composition of the gas must be correct to be accepted by the local distribution network. Carbon dioxide (CO2), moisture, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and particulate matter must be removed if present. This study aimed to develop a biogas scrubber using water purification system. Specifically, the objective was to evaluate the composition of biogas before and after scrubbing in terms of percentage methane (CH4), CO2, Nitrogen (N2), and H2S. The development of the biogas scrubbing machine considered system components and material specifications. After fabrication, preliminary testing was done to establish different parameters such as working pressure and scrubbing time and amount of water needed. The study also evaluated the performance of the biogas scrubber in terms of percentage increase in CH4 and scrubber efficiency. An operation and maintenance manual for the utilization of the biogas scrubber was also prepared. After several trials and testing, the system inlet pressure operated at 4.6 psi. The system could increase CH4 in biogas by approximately 21.67 %. The scrubber efficiency was 68.67 %. It was recommended that further study should be conducted and consultation with experts should be done to improve the design and automate the operation of the system.
Effect Of Adaptation Constant Μ In The Achievable Amplification Of A Real Time Lms Based Adaptive Feedback Canceller For Public Address System
This study considers the problem experienced with public address system in an area constrained environment. In an environment wherein public address system is used to address the general public, acoustic feedback occurs unpredictably which significantly degrades the acoustic quality of the information signal. An adaptive filter is then presented, with the objective to reduce the effect of acoustic feedback of the public address system that might occur at any point within the area. The system covers a 20th order multi-tapped finite impulse response (FIR) adaptive filter that is implemented in field programmable gate array (FPGA). The performance of the adaptive filter with least mean square (LMS) adaptive algorithm was presented and the effects of the adaptation constant μ were investigated. The system was evaluated with a prepositioned speaker and microphone to which an acoustic feedback would occur by slowly increasing the gain of the audio power amplifier. An acoustic signal was also applied to a microphone as part of the evaluation. During an evaluation, the acoustic activity of the environment was observed by a spectrum analyzer and spectrograph. Results show that with large μ, the adaptive filter was able to quickly reduce the howling signal before the system exhibit an unstable behavior. However, results also show that the magnitude of the output information signal of the public address system with large μ is lesser compared to a smaller μ of the adaptive filter. This shows that the adaptation constant μ does not only eliminate the acoustic feedback but also reduces the amplification of the public address system with acoustic feedback controller.
Copyright (c) 2021 PUP Journal of Science and Technology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Timing of Early Developmental Stages in Embyos of Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)
Sea urchin is one of the most important subjects in developmental biology studies due to its rapid and simple development. Timing for its development is a key component for most experiments. However, available data often vary due to the effect of temperature and other external factors. With this, standardization on the timing of the early developmental stages in embryos of Tripneustes gratilla was conducted in this study. Induced spawning and in-vitro fertilization were done on the collected sea urchins. Morphology of the embryo and timing for each developmental stage including early cleavage stages, morula, and blastula were studied. Sea urchin embryos started its development at 2 minutes after fertilization and reached blastula stage after 6 hours. Developmental stages of T. gratilla embryos exhibited embryological distinction from one another and tend to develop rapidly after fertilization making it an appropriate model organism for biological researches.
Analysis On The Anthropometric And Occupational Biomechanics Of Local Garment Factory Trimmers In Carmona, Cavite: An Input For Workplace Improvement
In every work environment, it is important to identify risk factors that may contribute to the development of occupational disorders. This study aimed to analyze the work system of a local garment factory’s trimming department and to minimize the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among workers. The study involved ergonomic assessment wherein the proponents performed job worksite analysis, anthropometric analysis and utilized ergonomic tools such as Body Discomfort Chart (BDC) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). This was used to identify the body segments with high degree of perceived discomfort that eventually may lead to work-related disorders. Then, the study developed ergonomic interventions to mitigate the development of MSDs. Lastly, evaluation using postural analysis to simulate the new working posture of the trimmers in improved workplace design was done. The result showed mismatch between workplace design and anthropometric measurements that resulted to strong perceived body discomfort (p = 0.001) predominantly in lower back, shoulder and calf. Assessment indicated medium to high risk exposure to MSDs and implied that change in work system is required immediately (p = 0.000). Ergonomic interventions recommended improvement on workplace design components, which comprised of sitting-standing working position, a chair that every worker would fit in with an adjustable height from 57 - 63 cm (22.44 - 24.80 in) and an adjustable forward-tilting seat up to 15° to address lumbar area problems. The ergonomic solutions involved application of Anthropometry and Occupational Biomechanics guidelines in order to fit the work systems elements to the workers and to maintain the neutral working positions of trimmers.
Statistical Quality Control and Process Analysis on the Production of Trash Bags Going Through Extrusion Process
This study evaluated the extrusion process of trash bags of a plastic manufacturer in Marilao, Bulacan. According to the data that the company has provided, the process produced an average of 3,400 kilograms of scraps every month. The objective of the study is to determine the causes of this significant waste and recommend ways to mitigate or eliminate them. The study analyzes the process using descriptive statistics. Using Laney P’-charts, a type of statistical diagnostic tool that tries to see patterns in a data set, the proponents investigated seven months of trash bag production. The charts showed that there are days when a significant amount of scraps goes way beyond of what to be expected. Upon further examination of the events that happened on those days, it was found out that the changing of the pellets’ color caused the wastes. The charts also showed other noticeable patterns, and causes were found related to these arrangements like damp pellets, wrong machine configurations and more. The results showed that statistics are a powerful tool that can help with quality control and find the causes of defects in the production. Recommendations were made with proper planning of when to put on certain colors of plastic pellets as the main suggestion.