Former chancellor de Ungria publishes book on Mindanao literature

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

RMU Former UP Mindanao chancellor and retired Department of Humanities professor Ricardo M. de Ungria has published a book, “Kalandrakas: Stories and Storytellers of/on Regions in Mindanao, 1890 – 1990. A Preliminary and Continuing Survey and Literary Mapping.” MindaNews announced the book in a news article on February 25, 2023, in conjunction with the book launch on February 27, 2023.

Read the news article here: https://www.mindanews.com/arts-culture/2023/02/rare-monumental-book-on-a-century-of-mindanao-literature-launched-on-february-27/

Vegetable Juice Beverage, 2023

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

The Technology Transfer & Business Development Office (TTBDO) hosted a demonstration on February 6, 2023, by Ms. Diane Rose G. Castillon (in photo below) and Dr. Dann Marie N. Del Mundo (Dept. of Food Science & Chemistry) for a technology developed for a juice beverage (not from concentrate) with the use of nutritious vegetables that are locally available in the Philippines. According to the demonstrators, this juice product could offer a more affordable option with the same benefit as that of juice blends in the market, making it more acceptable to the local market. 

"We are excited by the possibilities that this research could bring," said TTBDO head Lynda Buenobra. At the conclusion of the demonstration, the team identified several opportunities to further improve the quality of the product. "We aim that this research will be successful in delivering a more accessible and nutritious beverage option to the local market," said Prof. Del Mundo.

ACIAR-funded research AGB/2018/196

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

An agribusiness-led multi-agency research team arrived in Davao in January to study how to enhance aspects of value chains for smallholder Filipino farmers. Chancellor Lyre Murao met the team at a welcome dinner in Davao City and a courtesy call on the UP Mindanao campus.

The project is named “Inclusive value chain development for smallholder farming systems in the Philippines (IVC Philippines) AGB/2018/196.” The research project aims to enhance the design, implementation, and adoption of inclusive value chains in smallholder farming systems in the Philippines. The team will do this by exploring roles, conditions, and specific value chain interventions that improve engagement and benefit the livelihoods of farmers, their communities, and their chain partners.

Welcome Dinner (Jan 23) of the project Team with School of Management Dean Prof. Aurelia Luzviminda Gomez (Seated, Left) and UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao (Seated, Middle). Leading the Visayas State University team is Prof. Antonio Abao (Seated, right). Leading the UP Mindanao Team is Ms. Marilo Montiflor (Standing, 5th from the right). Also joining the team from the private sector is Ms. Suzie Vanidad (Standing, 4th from the right) from Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA).

Photo 2 (courtesy of PRO) Courtesy call to UP Mindanao Chancellor, Jan 27, 2023 Seated- Left to Right Ms. Marilou Montiflor (Coffee/Coconut Case Study Lead, UP Mindanao); Dr. Wendy Merrit (Collaborator, Australian National University); Dr. Michaela Cosijn (Project Leader, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) - Prof. Lyre Anni Murao (Chancellor, UP Mindanao). Standing Left to right - Prof. Gideon Neil Tan (Collaborator, Visayas State University), Prof. Caroline Piñon (Collaborator, UP Los Baños); Mr. Anton Palo (Project Coordinator, Foodlink Advocacy Cooperative); Prof. Hadasha Bongat (Collaborator, Visayas State University); Ms. Ella Angeline Vaquilar (Research Associate, UPMin)

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is funding the research project which is a collaborative effort among the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP Min), Foodlink Advocacy Co-operative (FAC), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the University of Queensland (UQ), UP Los Baños (UPLB), and Visayas State University (VSU).

The team held the welcome dinner on January 23, conducted a project workshop on January 24-26, 2023 in downtown Davao City and visited UP Mindanao on January 27, 2023.

Publication: Combining Image Enhancement Techniques

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

Combining Image Enhancement Techniques and Deep Learning for Shallow Water Benthic Marine Litter Detection

Original web page: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-23618-1_9?fbclid=IwAR0omK46WEMUClYz5XKtqia0XxRROhEJ5ob0dw8CI9_CjAKr-CYH64_T-gk

Authors: Gil Emmanuel Bancud, Alex John Labanon, Neil Angelo Abreo & Vladimer Kobayashi
Conference paper
First Online: 31 January 2023
Part of the Communications in Computer and Information Science book series (CCIS,volume 1752)

Abstract

The scarcity of information about benthic marine litter especially in developing countries hampers the implementation of targeted actions to minimize the extent of its impacts. This study developed a system using image processing and deep learning methods for detecting/tracking marine macro litter that can efficiently identify and quantify its amount in benthic environments in shallow coastal areas. Shallow underwater litter detection poses several challenges. First is the low quality of images. Second is the difficulty in recognizing litter brought by their varying visual characteristics. Third is the lack of available data for training. Underwater images of litter were collected from marine litter hotspots in coastal areas in southern Philippines. This study experimented with various object detection algorithms. The best object detection model is then paired with various image enhancement techniques to determine the optimal combination. Among the combinations that were tested, YOLOv5n combined with CLAHE gave the best performance for simple binary task (litter or not litter) with a mAP@0.5 of 0.704. Furthermore, the results showed that applying underwater image enhancement techniques provides noticeable improvement for object detection models on detecting marine litter.

Keywords: Yolov5, Image enhancement, Marine litter, Object detection

Ecological and Socio-Economic Benefits of Spiders

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

Our Friendly Neighborhood Spiders
by Deborah Uson
Imagine this: a spider in a matchbox, a piece of stick from a dried coconut leaf, and a group of youngsters. What do you get? A starter pack for spider fighting—a favorite pastime among the youth in some rural and peri-urban areas in the country.
Our penchant for spider fighting and the depiction of spiders in the Philippine media is a testament that spiders have long been part of Filipino culture. This could be attributed to spiders being easily found in the neighborhood, including in small-scale urban green spaces.
The paper “Local Community Perceptions of the Ecological and Socio-Economic Benefits of Spiders in Small-Scale Urban Green Spaces for Conservation Reinforcement” by UPMin researchers Brian Sabanal, Marion John Michael Achondo, Lief Erikson Gamalo, Pedro Alviola IV, and Mae Responte assessed UPMin’s local community’s knowledge, perception, and awareness on spiders' ecological and socio-economic benefits to reinforce the conservation of this invertebrate group. The paper is a result of UPMin’s Green Campus Initiative. Spiders have a significant role as beneficial predators, keeping the pest population—such as mosquitoes that spread dengue—in check. Their venom is also being studied to develop treatments for some diseases.

A variety of spiders displayed in the research paper  
The research team on fieldwork

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