3abstracts.pmd Layman’s Abstracts 1 SCIENCE DILIMAN (JANUARY-JUNE 2016) 28:1, 1-4 LAYMAN’S ABSTRACTS Simple Sequence Repeat Analysis of Selected NSIC-registered Coffee Varieties in the Phil ippines Daisy May C. Santos, Carla Francesca F. Besa, Angelo Joshua A. V ictoria, and Ernelea P. Cao Coffee is an important commercial crop worldwide. C. arabica and C. canephora, commonly known as Arabica and Robusta coffee, respectively, comprise most of the global coffee production. The latter is inferior in terms of taste and aroma but is more resistant to coffee diseases, such as leaf rust, berry borer, and Wilt disease. Another coffee species, C. liberica, commonly known as Liberica coffee, is also cultivated in the Philippines because of its strong taste and flavor. The Philippines has been trying to revive the coffee industry by producing specialty coffee with NSIC-registered varieties. The differences in the cup quality of the varieties are the main factors that determine market value. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the correct identif ication and isolation of pure coffee beans. Local farms usually misidentify and mix coffee beans of different varieties, depreciating their value. This study used simple sequence repeats (SSRs) to distinguish Philippine NSIC-registered coffee varieties. SSRs are tandem repeats in DNA sequences, with each repeat consisting of about two to six nucleotides. SSRs differ in terms of the number and kinds of repeats. The markers used in this study were able to separate the Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica coffee from each other. ISSN 0115-7809 Print / ISSN 2012-0818 Online Layman’s Abstracts 2 Chemical Characterization and Behavior of Respirable Fractions of Indoor Dusts Colleged Near a Landf ill Facil ity Rheo B. Lamorena-Lim and Colleen Marciel F. Rosales F r a c t i o n a t e d a i r b o r n e p a r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r ( t o t a l s u s p e n d e d p a r t i c u l a t e , coarse, and f ine) were separately collected from a junkshop, school, and money changer shop situated near a landf ill facility. Par ticulate matter samples were extracted and chemically analyzed for water-soluble metals, as well as organic constituents. In general, lead and cadmium were found to be abundant in the total suspended particulate fraction (10-100 μm), while copper was abundant in PM 2.5 (<2.5 μm). In addition, manganese, arsenic, strontium, cadmium, and lead were detected to be signif icant in the PM 10 fraction (2.5-10 μm) compared to the PM 2.5 fraction. The metal a n d p h t h a l a t e c o n c e n t r a t i o n s w e r e u s e d i n a g e o c h e m i c a l m o d e l i n g software for speciation characterization under different relative humidity conditions. Several solution complexes of the metals were predicted to form from the simulation runs. Results of the study indicate the potential f o r m a t i o n o f i n o r g a n i c a n d o r g a n i c s p e c i e s o n i n h a l a b l e p a r t i c u l a t e surfaces under different relative humidity conditions. Effect of Zeol ite Treatment on the Blooming Behavior of Paraffin Wax in Natural Rubber Composites Bryan B. Pajarito, Nico V. Berba, Jadreign Keisheen C. Par to, and Raechel Anne V. Yabut Soluble additives of natural rubber are known to bloom and form solid p r e c i p i t a t e s i n t h e p r o d u c t s u r f a c e . W h i l e s o m e a p p l i c a t i o n s f i n d blooming to be benef icial, the presence of bloom in products is usually visually offensive and unattractive. This work studied how three different chemical treatments of natural zeolite f iller, namely acid activation, ion exc h a n g e w i t h a te r t i a r y a m i n e s a l t , a n d o r g a n i c m o d i f i c a t i o n w i t h a non-ionic surfactant, affect the blooming of a model compound (paraff in Layman’s Abstracts 3 wax) in vulcanized natural rubber. Specif ically, we want to know: (1) how paraff in wax blooms with time in rubber; (2) what will happen to wax blooming in natural rubber if raw and treated zeolite f illers are added; and (3) how zeolite treatments affect blooming. We found out that: (1) bloom amount varies linearly with the square root of time; (2) raw, acid-activated, and ion-exchanged zeolite f illers reduce bloom, while surfactant-treated f illers increase bloom in rubber; and (3) ion exchange and surfactant treatments enhance the speed and initial amount of bloom in natural r u b b e r co m p o s i te s . A m o n g t h e f i l l e r s , r a w a n d a c i d - a c t i v a ted zeo l i t es g r e a t l y r e d u c e t h e a m o u n t of w a x b l o o m i n g o u t o f n a t u r a l r u b b e r. Meanwhile, surfactant-treated zeolites increase the amount of bloom. White Rot Disease and Epiphytism on Halmenia durvillei Bory de Saint-V incent (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) in Culture W ilfred John E. Santiañez, Hera J. Suan-Flandez, and Gavino C. Trono Jr. The current drive for research and development on Philippine seaweed resources is directed towards developing culture technologies that expand the current seaweed industry, which is largely based on Eucheuma and Kappaphycus (locally known as gusô), by tapping on the large majority of seaweeds that remain underdeveloped. The focus of our current research is the red alga Halymenia durvillei, which produces high-priced chemicals, such as carrageenan (a gelling agent) and the pigment r-phycoerythrin. We highlight herein the challenges we faced during the development and ref inement of the vegetative and spore culture technology of H. d urvillei, particularly while tackling white rot disease and heavy infestation of epiphytes. To our knowledge, this is the f irst repor t of both white rot disease and heavy infestation of cultured H. d urvillei. We identif ied the epiphyte as Neosiphonia apiculata, a common epiphyte infesting other seaweeds in culture. We also describe the nature of the white rot disease, which is characterized by a distinct discoloration and disintegration of the affected portion. Both white rot disease and epiphytes have negative e f f e c t s o n t h e g r o w t h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t o f H . d u r v i l l e i , r e s u l t i n g i n signif icant losses in biomass and potential prof it . Layman’s Abstracts 4 Marine Macroalgae: A Review Irene M. V illaseñor T h i s r e v i e w h i g h l i g h t s t h e r o l e o f s c i e n c e a n d t e c h n o l o g y i n t h e deve l o p m e n t , s u s t a i n a b i l i t y, a n d co m m e r c i a l v i a b i l i t y of t h e s e a weed i n d u s t r y i n t h e P h i l i p p i n e s . I t c o v e r s t h e s u b s t a n t i a l c o n t r i b u t i o n o f Academician Marco Nemesio E. Montaño and his co-authors on the post- h a r v e s t s i d e o f s e a w e e d p r o d u c t i o n . T h i s r e v i e w i s l i m i t e d t o t h e r e s e a r c h d o n e o n t h e o p t i m i z a t i o n o f e x t r a c t i o n m e t h o d s t o e n h a n c e t h e q u a n t i t y a n d q u a l i t y o f h y d r o c o l l o i d s , s p e c i f i c a l l y a g a r a n d c a r r a g e e n a n , f r o m r e d s e a w e e d s ; a n d t h e c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n o f t h e physicochemical properties of the hydrocolloid extracts. Gaps requiring the conduct of sound research and development initiatives still exist in the seaweed industry. Keyword s : Seaweeds, hydrocolloids, agar, carrageenan, postharvest