The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (from 'University of the City of Manila', abbreviated as PLM) is a city-government-funded local university situated inside the historic walled area of Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. It was established on June 19, 1965, and opened on July 17, 1967, to 556 scholars, all coming from the top ten percent of graduates of Manila's public high schools.PLM is the first tertiary-level institution in the country to offer tuition-free education, the first university funded solely by a city government, and the first institution of higher learning in the country to have its official name in Filipino.From its first enrollment record of 556 freshman scholars coming from the top ten percent of the graduating classes of Manila's twenty-nine public high schools, total semestral enrollment has grown to an average of 10,000. The college has expanded from a single college to twelve colleges, seven graduate, two professional schools, and a score of research and specialized centers, including a teaching hospital, an entrepreneurial center, and an integrated learning center for toddlers. It maintains a comprehensive distance-education and open university program for thousands of community health workers and public administrators in different regions nationwide, with affiliations and recognition from various national and international organizations and institutions.A study using cumulative data from 1999 to 2003 showed that PLM was among the top five schools nationwide in terms of board exam passing rate, and was one of three public universities in the top ten category.
Evaluation of torsional strength poses a significant challenge in reinforced concrete due to its inherently complex nature. As a fundamental aspect of structural behavior, accurately assessing torsional strength requires physical testing of structural elements. However, such testing is limited by the scarcity and high cost of specialized equipment. To overcome this challenge, this study proposes the use of nomogram derived through a neural network-genetic algorithm model. A comprehensive dataset consisting of 173 experimentally obtained results was employed to develop the neuro-genetic algorithm–based torsional strength model. The model focused on key input parameters such as area, compressive strength, and the influence of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement. The results demonstrated that the developed nomogram exhibited strong predictive performance, closely matching the accuracy of the neuro-genetic algorithm from which it was derived. With a high correlation coefficient of 0.99 and a root mean squared error of just 5.10, the nomogram proved to be a reliable and effective tool for estimating torsional strength of reinforced concrete. The nomogram works as a novel non-destructive testing tool, with the predicted results offering valuable baseline information for the design of reinforced concrete members.
The integration of Sports Programs (SP) into educational curricula is gaining attention for its potential to boost academic achievement and foster essential life skills. This study investigates how sports-based learning influences students' performance, discipline, and social development. The study is an effort to evaluate the relationship between participation in inclusive sports programs and better performance in school, self-discipline, social competencies, resilience, time management, and sense of belonging in students. A mixed-method was employed in the study to merge quantitative responses of a structured-based questionnaire design to a sample size of 563 students with qualitative results of semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample of 50 students. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) analyzed the quantitative data, and NVivo analyzed the qualitative data in the form of thematically. The result illustrated the positive connection between sports programs and higher academic performance, improved self-discipline, better social skills, and increased resilience. The students involved in sports showed better time management and felt more tuned to their school environment. The novelty of the study demonstrates how sport and education make an imprint on the life of a person in terms of academic progress and personal growth. This is going to build a stronger base with respect to the effects of integrating sports into education on the holistic development of students. The findings show that the inclusion of sports in the school curriculum emerges as a viable strategy for improving students' academic performance, discipline enforcement, and collaborative spirit, thus contributing toward a positive school climate.
This study explores the use of Model Context Protocol (MCP) in generating CHED-based college lesson plans by comparing Zero-Shot Baseline prompting, CHED-MCP Assisted generation, and Zero-Shot Iterative refinement workflows. The findings show that MCP-assisted generation requires more input tokens because it retrieves curriculumrelated resources before generation, while output token counts remain similar to Zero-Shot prompting. The iterative workflow improved lesson-plan quality but significantly increased cumulative token costs due to repeated refinement prompts. Overall, the study argues that token efficiency should not be measured solely by token reduction, but as a workflow-level and quality-adjusted concept that considers curriculum alignment, evidence grounding, completeness, and teacher usability.
This study presents AKtiveWorld, an offline gamified mobile application designed to support social skills development among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 6 to 12. The system integrates a rule-based dialogue mechanism, a threshold-based reinforcement algorithm, and a personalized progress tracking feature to provide a structured and adaptive learning environment. Through virtual character interactions and scenario-based dialogues, the application simulates real-life social situations that allow users to practice appropriate social responses in a safe and controlled setting. The study evaluated three core system components. First, the rule-based dialogue system achieved a functional suitability score of 3.6, indicating effective dialogue flow, scoring accuracy, and task completion. Second, the threshold-based reinforcement mechanism utilized the Independent Positive Count (IPC) to assess user performance, where a score of 11 out of 15 (73.33%) met the required 70% passing threshold, confirming the system’s capability to identify weaker social skills and reinforce them through repeated dialogue exposure. Third, the personalized progress tracking feature demonstrated its effectiveness in monitoring and recording user responses, contributing to continuous skill improvement and obtaining a usability mean score of 3.8. In addition, the system achieved a performance efficiency mean score of 4.8, reflecting responsive interaction, smooth scene transitions, and stable offline operation. The findings indicate that AKtiveWorld is a functional, usable, and effective platform for supporting adaptive social skills learning among children with ASD.
Classroom overheating is an increasing concern in tropical urban environments, particularly in educational buildings where elevated indoor temperatures may affect thermal comfort and learning conditions. This study evaluated the thermal performance of modular wall panels integrated with salt hydrate phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive cooling intervention in selected classrooms of Gusaling Villegas (GV) at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. A quasi-experimental research design was employed using one classroom equipped with PCM-integrated wall panels as the test room and another classroom without PCM panels as the control room. Indoor temperature and relative humidity were monitored over six testing days. The PCM system utilized sodium sulfate decahydrate as the salt hydrate PCM, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles serving as the protective encapsulation material. Differential scanning calorimetry testing was also conducted to examine the thermal characteristics and repeatability of the PET casing material. The results showed that the PCM-equipped classroom consistently recorded lower temperatures than the control classroom. Mean temperature differences across the six testing days ranged from 0.14°C to 0.67°C, while the maximum observed peak-temperature reduction was 0.85°C. The largest average temperature reduction occurred under the hotter conditions observed on Day 5. Relative time-lag effects were inconsistent, with measurable delays observed on some testing days but no consistent delay across the entire monitoring period. Relative humidity was only marginally affected, with an overall average difference of approximately 0.98%. Statistical analysis showed that the temperature data were non-normally distributed; therefore, a Mann–Whitney U test was employed. The test indicated a statistically significant difference between the temperature distributions of the test and control rooms (p < 0.05), with the PCM-equipped room exhibiting a lower mean temperature. Despite the statistically significant difference, the magnitude of temperature reduction remained relatively small for practical thermal-comfort improvement. The findings indicate that PCM-integrated wall panels have measurable passive-cooling potential but require improved encapsulation, thermal conductivity, surface-area-to-volume ratio, placement, and experimental duration to maximize their effectiveness in existing educational buildings.
