This qualitative study examined how 40 Operation Tokhang drug surrenderees in Metro Manila experienced and interpreted fear, surrender, healing, and reconstruction of self and social belonging. Using a generic qualitative inquiry, the study generated data through repeated semi-structured interviews and analyzed them inductively through thematic analysis. Sikolohiyang Pilipino provided the principal culturally grounded interpretive framework, complemented by perspectives on recovery capital, stigma, identity reconstruction, and constrained agency. Findings demonstrate that fear, surrender, healing, and reconstruction were interconnected rather than sequential processes. Surrender reflected varied negotiations of perceived threat, survival, family and relational responsibility, personal realization, and possibilities for change. Healing was associated with family and social support, rehabilitation, faith, livelihood, community participation, and meaningful roles, while reconstruction involved dignity, belonging, and future possibility amid continuing vulnerability. The study advances relationally recognized personhood, recognition capital, and fragile hope as interpretive contributions for understanding post-surrender recovery as relational, culturally situated, contingent, and nonlinear.
This chapter explores how personal narratives serve as critical tools for healing among Filipino child sexual abuse survivors. By centering the voices of children—including those with disabilities and victims of online exploitation—it challenges the cultural silence imposed by hiya (shame) and familial duty. The text demonstrates that resilience is often quiet and internal, yet becomes transformative when met with malasakit (compassion) and belief from trusted adults. It argues that ethical listening validates the child's reality, allowing them to reconstruct their identity beyond victimhood. Ultimately, these stories redefine recovery not just as survival, but as the reclamation of agency and dignity.
Heavy metal contamination in food crops remains a critical environmental and public health issue, particularly for cadmium (Cd2+) and copper (Cu2+), which can accumulate through soil, water, and agricultural inputs. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared via boric acid-assisted thermal reduction of graphene oxide followed by acid washing. A boron-doped reduced graphene oxide modified graphite electrode (rGO/GE) was then fabricated and applied for the sensitive voltammetric determination of Cd2+ and Cu2+ in jasmine rice using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) coupled with a standard addition technique. DPASV analysis included immersion of the rGO/GE and the deposition of target metal ions (Cd2+ and Cu2+) and bismuth onto the electrode surface. The synthesized GO and rGO were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-vis spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Results confirmed the complete reduction of GO to rGO using boric acid as the reducing agent. The method showed excellent reproducibility and sensitivity, with limits of detection (LODs) of 30 µg/L for Cd2⁺ and 0.05 µg/L for Cu2⁺. Electrochemical analysis results show that the actual concentrations of Cd2+ and Cu2+ in Royal Umbrella brand jasmine rice were 0.46 ± 0.01 mg/kg and 1.16 ± 0.06 mg/kg, respectively. The results were validated using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), which provided relative differences of 0.00
Cellular senescence is a multifaceted stress response marked by stable proliferative arrest and the secretion of diverse biologically active factors, collectively known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The senescent phenotype is remarkably variable and subject to various regulatory influences. We previously demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction induced by diverse stimuli, including the loss of sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), leads to the hyperactivation of AMPK and p53, culminating in senescence while concurrently suppressing much of the proinflammatory SASP. Here, we extend our findings by revealing that the absence of SIRT3 can suppress segments of the SASP even in the absence of p53. Intriguingly, SIRT3 deficiency renders cells resistant to stimulation by exogenous cytokines, such as interleukin-1. Fibroblasts derived from Sirt3 knockout mice exhibit a diminished SASP, including reduced levels of Pdgfa, and these mice display impaired wound healing and a more expansive granulation area. Furthermore, aged Sirt3 knockout mice show disrupted patterns of senescence relative to wild type controls, including increases in senescence markers in adipose tissue, but surprisingly also decreases in liver and heart. Collectively, these data underscore a role for SIRT3 in orchestrating cellular senescence phenotypes, shedding light on its regulatory influence beyond the p53-dependent pathway.
Pure and silver-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized via phytomediation using Stachytarpheta jamaicensis leaf extract to develop an eco-friendly method for synthesizing nanoparticles with enhanced properties. Zinc nitrate and silver nitrate were employed as precursors for ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles, respectively. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to investigate their optical and morphological properties. Results revealed that the absorption peaks of the synthesized nanoparticles confirmed the formation of nanoparticles, with Ag doping causing a red shift in the absorption spectrum. SEM images indicated a spherical morphology, with slight agglomeration in the doped samples. Doping with silver enhanced the optical properties, which could have potential applications in catalysis, sensing, and biomedical fields. Furthermore, the nanoparticle extracts were subjected to antimicrobial test against two bacterial strains (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) using a modified disk diffusion method and compared with the antibacterial effect with the standard antibacterial drug, Ampicillin. Ampicillin only showed antibacterial activity against S. aureus and had no antibacterial effect on E. coli. Result of this study showed that the 5% and 10% Ag-doped ZnO NPs showed strong antibacterial activity against both gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacterial strains.
