In this work, conversion of various tar representatives over the surface of heavy metal contaminated biochars was investigated. To determine the effect of biochar porosity on its interactions with the tar, a portion of biochar was submitted to activation via gasification using CO2 and CO2/steam mixtures. Conversion of three model tars was analysed. Additionally, experiments with real tars generated by pyrolysis of wood chips and individual wood components were performed. The activation and passivation efficiencies were assessed by gas adsorption measurements. In most cases, N2 adsorption isotherms for passivated biochars were lower than those of pristine samples, confirming the porosity decay during the passivation process. The passivation extent was dependent on the type of tar used only, with an insignificant influence of biochar's initial porosity. Raman analysis showed the highest structural order in pristine (activated and non-activated) biochars; each type of passivation brought about an increase in the number of defects and a simultaneous increase of carbon stability (in terms of R50 index). In activated biochars, the retention of Zn and Pb exceeded 50 % and 80 %, respectively. Passivation with toluene resulted in a decrease of surface Pb concentration by almost a half, and by over 80 % in case of Zn.
Grammatical competence is an important component of academic writing because it enables students to communicate ideas clearly, organize sentences logically, and convey intended meanings. However, students may experience difficulties in using appropriate word forms, constructing sentences, and expressing ideas coherently. This study examined the grammatical competence of Grade 10 students in a private school in Pangasinan, Philippines, focusing on morphology, syntax, and semantics. It also identified common grammatical errors in students’ written outputs and explored teachers’ perceptions of the difficulties students experience in academic writing. The study employed a descriptive approach involving 25 purposively selected Grade 10 students from a population of 46 during School Year 2024–2025. Students’ written outputs were evaluated using a grammatical competence rubric, while teacher discussion notes provided supplementary qualitative information. The reported mean scores were 3.61 for morphology, 3.77 for syntax, and 3.75 for semantics, resulting in an overall mean of 3.71, interpreted as High based on the study’s rating scale. The error inventory recorded 156 instances across ten identified categories. Incorrect sentence construction and structure accounted for the largest number of recorded errors, with 28 instances, followed by incorrect use of affixes, with 24 instances, and ambiguous expression of ideas, with 20 instances. Teacher discussion notes identified concerns involving word formation, verb usage, sentence organization, connectives, and punctuation. Teachers also perceived informal language use, limited reading, and insufficient writing practice as possible influences on students’ writing difficulties. These perceptions were not independently tested as causal factors. The findings provide a basis for proposing TUKLAS, a learning activity material designed to support grammar instruction and academic writing development. Further validation and evaluation are necessary before its effectiveness can be established.
Background: Skills laboratories play a vital role in nursing education by helping students develop procedural skills in a safe, controlled setting. Yet, it remains unclear how well these lab-based skills translate to real clinical performance (Related Learning Experience, RLE), especially within Philippine nursing programs. Aim: This study compares nursing students' performance in skills lab return demonstrations and in real clinical settings (RLE), and explores how students perceive both environments. Methodology: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was used. Quantitative data were obtained from the academic records of 138 randomly selected second-, third-, and fourth-year nursing students, comparing their skills lab and clinical (RLE) grades using descriptive statistics and a paired t-test. Qualitative insights were gathered from six focus group discussions and analyzed thematically. Results: Students received higher RLE grades than skills-lab grades (RLE: M = 84.88, SD = 2.01; skills lab: M = 82.60, SD = 5.96; mean difference = 2.28 points, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.27; t(137) = -4.54, p < 0.001; Cohen's dz = 0.39). Thematic analysis revealed four themes: (1) labs build foundational knowledge but can feel unrealistic; (2) clinical exposure and teamwork were perceived to strengthen performance and confidence; (3) memorization-heavy lab training was perceived to limit flexibility in real practice; and (4) emotional factors, such as anxiety and fear of mistakes, shaped students during the transition to patient care. Conclusion: Skills labs are essential for introducing core procedures and building initial confidence, but students' clinical (RLE) grades were modestly higher than their skills lab grades. Students described gaps in realism and assessment alignment between settings, alongside transition anxiety. Enhancing simulation realism, emphasizing clinical reasoning in lab assessments, and strengthening lab-clinical coordination may better align training with clinical expectations and support students' transition to practice.
Animal agri-products trading companies occupy a critical but under-examined position in the Philippine livestock value chain, connecting farmers, veterinarians, and feed mills to veterinary, breeding, nutritional, and biosecurity inputs. Despite the sector's importance to food security and rural livelihoods, limited research examines how such companies recognize market opportunities and build viable, trusted enterprises. This study, conducted on a start-up Philippine animal agri-products trading company (pseudonym "AgriVet Co."), determined the extent to which the company practices opportunity recognition, creativity and ideation, design thinking application, trust-building and relationship management, and feasibility validation; examined the relationships among these five domains; explored, through the founder's and staff's experiences, how the company's market opportunity was recognized, creatively explored, and validated; and proposed evidence-informed strategies to strengthen these areas. A mixed-method case study combined a five-point Likert-scale survey of 14 respondents with key informant interviews of the founder and three senior staff, covering all 18 direct-hire personnel. Weighted means assessed each practice's extent, and thematic analysis examined the qualitative data; reliability was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). The company practiced the examined behaviors overall, with trust-building and relationship management the strongest area, supported by farm visits and technical consultations, while feasibility validation was less formally practiced, particularly in financial and organizational assessment. The five domains proved interrelated, with trust-building linking opportunity recognition to validation and substituting for the more formal creativity and feasibility practices that scored lowest. The founder's technical and distribution experience strongly shaped opportunity recognition, while trust-building proved central to serving a technically demanding client base. The study recommends formalizing the company's informal opportunity-scanning and feasibility practices, introducing lightweight structured ideation techniques, and developing a repeatable feasibility checklist to sustain founder-driven strengths as the company scales.
Today, the sustainability and quality of graduate education rely more on the importance of research cultures, effective mentoring, institutional support, and scholarly collaboration, which provide opportunities for doctor of education (Ed.D.) students to cultivate research competence, resilience, and a professional research identity. The present study examined the lived experience and insights of doctoral students regarding research and development and created a contextually grounded, research-based framework to support quality graduate education. The study used a purposive sampling technique and selected 13 Ed.D. students from the Graduate School for Professional Advancement and Continuing Education (G-SPACE) of Columban College, Inc. in Central Luzon, Philippines. Semi-structured interviews were employed, and Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis and Thematic Analysis were used to analyze the data, with MAXQDA supporting the analysis. Methodological triangulation, member checking, bracketing, audit trails, reflexivity, and participant validation were used to establish trustworthiness. Results indicated that research is an intellectual process that changes when supported by research-integrated learning, academic accountability, mentoring, institutional research support, collaborative research in scholarly work, and a resilient approach in the face of methodological and resource limitations and time constraints. The integrative analysis also revealed that sustainable graduate education results from a transformative, research-oriented learning culture; institutional empowerment; resilience; collaborative scholarly engagement; systematic research governance; and mentored research development. The results informed the creation of the Research-Driven Framework for Sustainable Quality Graduate Education Programs, which highlights key drivers, required support infrastructure, and processes for ongoing improvement. A comprehensive research community, with robust governance, innovative mentoring, supportive institutions, collaborative learning, and agile capacity, is essential to sustainable quality graduate education. The framework can be utilized in graduate institutions to enhance research culture, the incorporation of research into the curriculum, mentoring relationships, research management, research collaboration, and quality assurance, to produce competent scholar-practitioners, more meaningful research productivity, and further institutional and societal development. Leadership, supportive policies, sustained resources, research infrastructure, and external partnerships are highlighted as enabling factors of academic excellence, innovation, and long-term program sustainability.
