Perspectives on the Barriers to and Needs of Teachers’ Professional Development in the Philippines during COVID-19

Due to COVID-19, remote or distance education has become the norm in the Philippines. Yet even in its second year, remote teaching and learning still face ongoing challenges, as does the need for teachers’ professional development. This paper describes a study that examined teachers’ perspectives on barriers and needs in professional development. The study involved 174 teachers who were teaching online courses in the National Capital Region. The participants completed a survey detailing their professional development frequency, perspectives, barriers, and needs, while eight teachers agreed to participate in a follow-up interview. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analysis have shown that teachers’ pedagogical and information technology skills requirements are influenced primarily by their prior professional development experiences and their need to apply active learning and innovative teaching ideas. Qualitative analyses indicate that teachers’ professional development needs are mostly focused on skills related to online teaching, information technology literacy, and conducting research. In addition, data indicated that barriers to professional development were primarily caused by financial and time constraints and a lack of teacher motivation and logistical support. In summary, for remote education to be sustainable, teachers need ongoing professional development as well as adequate logistical support.

Understanding the use of Challakere grasslands by the local communities and their livestocks

Challakere grasslands have been in news since the allotment of Amruth Mahal Kavals to the prestigious institutions like the BARC, DRDO, ISRO and IISC in 2008. There was lot of anger and demonstration being held from Challakere to the national capital New Delhi. The supreme court formed a Central Inquiry Committee and heard the queries of both the contestant parties. Finally there is access to only few things in the allocated kavals like the temple, drinking water and few important roads. The lifestyle of the people who are staying around these kavals have changed since last ten years. The people who always grew some crops during the rainy season and then grazed their livestock in the vast kavals have lost hopes on both, thanks to the diminished rains and shrinking of kaval. The livestock number is fast decreasing due to the scarcity of fodder which is shown both in secondary data and also from the socio-economic survey we conducted. Wildlife has dwindled with number and the imbalance in predator- prey population may pose a threat to the future remaining agricultural lands.

Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils of National Capital Region, Delhi: Levels and Ecological Risk

This study was conducted to assess heavy metals concentrations in agricultural soils in the National Capital Region, Delhi. A total of 84 soil samples were collected from selected agricultural areas located near industries, national highways, state highways, Yamuna floodplain, residential complexes, and wastewater irrigated soils. Heavy metal concentrations, pH, and organic carbon (%) were analyzed in the collected soil samples. The average value of pH, and organic carbon (%) in the soil samples were 7.79±0.49 and 0.53±0.17 percent respectively. Average concentrations of heavy metals (mg kg-1) in the agricultural soils were found in the order of Fe > Al > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Pb > Co > Cd with value as 14916.92, 13538.87, 277.16, 74.53, 35.34, 33.68, 22.94, 18.45, 1.88, and 0.92 . The concentrations of Zn, Ni, and Mn reported in the present study were several times higher than their concentration in Indian natural background soils. A significant potential ecological risk has been noticed in nearly all the agricultural soil samples except for the samples collected nearby residential areas. The contamination factor has shown that most of the soil samples were moderately contaminated with Mn, Ni, Fe, and Cr and some soil samples were considerably to strongly contaminated with Zn, Pb, Cd, and Ni. Wastewater irrigated soils showed a moderate to a strong degree of accumulation of Zn, Cd, and Ni.

Association of Underlying Comorbidities and progression of COVID-19 Infection Among 2586 Patients Hospitalized in the National Capital Region of India: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objectives This study is conducted to observe the association of diabetes (DM), hypertension (HTN), and chronic kidney disease on the prognosis and mortality of COVID-19 infection in hospital admitted patients.Methods This is a single centre, observational, retrospective study carried out at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, India. the burden of comorbidities on the prognosis and clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients admitted patients from April 8, 2020, to October 4, 2020. Chi-square and relative risk test were used to observe the association of comorbidities and disease prognosis.Results A total of 2586 patients were included in the study consisting of 69.6% of male patients. All the comorbidities were significantly associated with ICU admission and mortality. The relative risk showed that CKD is most prone to severity as well as mortality of the COVID-19 infection followed by HTN and DM. Further with the increase in comorbidity, the risk of ICU admission and mortality increases.Conclusion Diabetes, hypertension and CKD, all are associated with progression of COVID-19 disease to severity and higher mortality risk. The number of underlying comorbid condition is directly proportional to the progression of disease severity and mortality.

Acceptability of reclaimed municipal wastewater in cities: evidence from India's National Capital Region

Willingness to reuse reclaimed municipal wastewater was ascertained through a questionnaire completed by 424 respondents, opinions of 17 experts, and interviews with 15 farmers. Information was collected to assess their knowledge of water scarcity and to determine the influence of demographics, correlation to perceived risk, willingness, challenges, and barriers related to the acceptance of reclaimed water. Most respondents were receptive to the idea of using it for purposes other than drinking, and ‘water conservative’ individuals were inclined towards using it even for drinking. Farmers were concerned about its quality and implications for the health of using it for irrigation. Effective communication between authorities and end-users can promote the idea of reusing greywater and reclaimed water for domestic use, and, eventually, for drinking. These findings will be useful in developing an integrated, practical, and strategic framework for treating wastewater for reuse in other cities not only in India but also in other developing countries.

Land Use Changes Analysis in Jakarta Bay Coastal Area Between 1998, 2008 and 2018

As the national capital and one of the largest cities in the world, environmental conditions and land use in Jakarta have changed a lot in the last twenty years. Economic growth and high population growth in Jakarta have resulted in massive development of infrastructure and residential areas in Jakarta. Economic growth and an increase in population are become problems, especially with the decreasing of green areas due to the development process carried out without paying attention to the surrounding environment. Environmental problems such as water pollution, land subsidence, coastal erosion and flooding often occur in the Jakarta area, especially in the coastal areas of North Jakarta. The research from 1998 to 2018 show that from the observations area of mangrove land cover has increased by 79 hectares during that period. The same trend applied on area of built and open land that increased by 292 hectares and 887 hectares respectively. Meanwhile, the area of land for vegetation, water bodies, and fishpond has decreased from 1998 to 2018 by 393 hectares, 797 hectares and 309 hectares respectively. Development and reclamation have changed land use in the Northern area of Jakarta. However, it is also necessary to pay attention to the impact of development on environmental and social conditions in the North Jakarta area.

Prevalence of MRSA and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Staphylococcus aureus in Clinical Samples in National Capital Region, India

Background: Infections caused by Staphylococci are frequently linked to indwelling medical equipment. These are extremely difficult to treat with antibiotics. In India, the prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) varies from 30 to 70%, resulting in high mortality, increased economic burden, and high treatment failure in tertiary care hospitals. Rapid and reliable identification of MRSA is critical for infection management and avoiding the needless use of antibiotics. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology, Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad, from the 1st of August 2020 to the 31st of January 2021. MRSA isolates were screened and confirmed using standard methods recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Methicillin resistance, in Staphylococcus aureus strains, was evaluated using oxacillin/cefoxitin. The Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique was used to assess the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of all MRSA strains. Results: In this investigation, MRSA was identified in 29.4% of the 384 Staphylococcus aureus strains. When compared to females, men outnumbered females. Cefoxitin detects a greater amount of MRSA than oxacillin. In this investigation, the majority of MRSA was found in pus samples. Conclusion: MRSA prevalence is known to vary depending on geographical region, hospital type, investigated population, and technique of detection used. Given the clinical implications of MRSA infection and its fast transmission capability, MRSA strains must be monitored on a regular basis.