Climate Variability Impacts on High-Value Crops Production in Pampanga, Philippines

Nancy C. Neri and Jocell D. Calma

High-value crops are agricultural crops that have competitive returns on investment which have potential local and export markets and command high prices. The main objective of the study was to analyze and describe the impact of climate variability on the production of high-value crops in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Using the descriptive-correlational method of research, results showed a significant variation in monthly and yearly average temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and windspeed when compared to the ten-year average data in Pampanga. Based on the production data from 2011 to 2020 of the province, sweet potato, bitter gourd, mango, melon and watermelon, and tomato were the top five producing high-value crops while pole sitao, eggplant, banana, squash, and mung bean were the least five producing high-value crops. Pearson correlation analyses between the climate variables and high-value crops revealed a significant relationship between pole sitao production and temperature. Moreover, eggplant and banana productions were both significantly related to windspeed while squash production has a significant relationship to temperature and windspeed. In addition, multiple linear regression analyses showed that temperature and rainfall were significant predictors of melon and watermelon production, and temperature was a significant predictor of pole sitao production. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that climate variability made an extensive impact on the productions of some high-value crops in Pampanga, Philippines.

Modeling of Biodiversity Trends of Beetles (Class: Coleoptera), Dragonflies and Damselflies (Class: Odonata), And Spiders (Class: Arachnida) in Mt. Arayat National Park

Joemar Ian V. Macapagal, Jessie H. Licup and Nathaniel B. Supan

This paper aims to model the biodiversity trends of three species of insects found in Mt. Arayat National Park. The biodiversity trends of Coleoptera, Odonata and Arachnida follow the law of natural growth and natural decay which were used to model the biodiversity trends and governed by the Differential Equation dP/dt=kP with a general solution of P(t)=〖P_0 e〗^(k(t-t_0)). The traditional way of solving was used to manually solve the particular solution, and the growth/decay rate of the three species. Also, the researcher developed a program of the model using SCILAB program.
The data revealed that 15 species of Coleoptera will be facing population growth while the other 11 will experience population decay. Meanwhile, the population of eight Arachnida species will grow and the other five will decreased in number. Also, eight of the species under Odonata will multiply in number as projected on the model while the other three will be at risked.
The projections are solely determined by mathematical models using population as main variable. Existing environmental factors of the study site are strongly recommended to be considered in conducting further analysis.

A Differential Equation Model Analysis of COVID-19 Pandemic in Pampanga

Karla S. Mallari and Aldrin P. Mendoza

The main objective of the study was to develop and present a system of differential equations modeling COVID-19 transmission dynamics in the province of Pampanga. The researcher described COVID-19 status and modeled it using the given observed data. COVID-19 cases in Pampanga increased dramatically from March 2020 to December 2021, reaching six to seven times the annual increase of cases. The ADAR of COVID-19 at a certain area or per 100,000 population increased from low to high risk over a two-year period. The vaccination status for COVID-19 is increasing – 48.74 % of the population were fully vaccinated as of December 2021. An SIR-D model was developed, which was based on the SIR model developed by Kermack and McKendrick in 1927. An analytical and numerical method was used in this model analysis. I(t) was solved analytically followed by solving the parameter of the model using the optimization process in the Excel solver. The numerical solution for dS/dt, dR/dt and dD/dt was solved using Runge-Kutta method in Scilab 6.1.1.Based on the developed model, the transmission rate (r), removal rate (recovery (λ) and death rate (ω)), proportion of the population using face mask (θ) and the efficacy of face mask (ε) were significant factors driving the rise of cases.

Factors Affecting COVID-19 Incidences in Magalang, Pampanga: A Path Analysis

Renz T. Calma and Ivy Gay O. Salvador

The study aims to determine the factors that predict COVID-19 incidences in Magalang, Pampanga from March 2020 to December 2021 using path analysis. Path Analysis was utilized to find relationships, direct and indirect effect between variables of interest. The study used descriptive survey method to analyse the daily cases, deaths, recoveries, and the COVID-19 incidences of each barangay. Meanwhile, regression analysis was used to determine the predictors among the personal, sociological, and climatic factors.
The study showed that there is a significant difference on the COVID-19 incidences among the barangays and it also showed that among the variables, age, temperature, population, and relative humidity can significantly predict COVID-19 incidences. The path analysis model showed the significant positive and negative direct effects of age, temperature, relative humidity, and population to COVID- 19 incidences while the model also showed the indirect effects of rainfall to temperature through path of relative humidity and path from relative humidity to COVID-19 incidences via temperature.
The results of the study support the need for COVID-19 awareness program especially for the barangays with higher incidences, bigger population, and persons greater than 30 years old. Moreover, people are advised to be more cautious during cold and humid seasons.

Mathematics on the Stole and the Alb of Roman Catholic Priest

Danica D. Celso and Kathleen Shy Ann M. Canlas

The stole and alb are sacred vestments that are often seen being used by the Roman Catholic Priests during liturgical celebrations. There are different designs and themes that vary according to the preferences of the priests and the liturgical celebrations. However, by looking closely at the intricate artistic design, it is noticeable that there are different mathematical concepts in their design. They were used to express the religious beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. In order to verify the mathematics behind the stole and alb of priests, the study used descriptive-qualitative approach. The following findings were drawn: There were geometric shapes found in the study having two types namely polygons and curve shapes. There is regular tessellation found in the stole of Roman Catholic Priests. There were three types of symmetry found in stole and alb of Roman Catholic priests: line symmetry, rotational symmetry and translational symmetry. For the last mathematical concept that was applied, there were symmetry group found in the study having two types namely cyclic symmetry group and dihedral symmetry group.

Optimizing the Profit of Pampanga State Agricultural University Consumers Cooperative

Elaine C. Dela Cruz and Aiza D. Villavicencio

PSAU consumers cooperative main goal is to help improve the quality of life of its members and thereby contribute to inclusive growth, enterprise development, and employment. The objective of the study is to find the number of products per variation to be merchandised in obtaining the optimum (maximum) profit to support the PSAU consumers cooperative in solving problems and maximizing revenues. The researcher used a descriptive-exploratory type of research in this study. Traditional method and excel were used in solving the optimum solution. The researcher used three hundred ten (310) different kinds of products with different variations for the variables, selling price, and merchandising cost for objective function and number of operating days, and daily demand for the constraints. The study obtained an optimum profit of ₱3,931,966.56 from the resulted optimization model. The study further revealed the following top three quantities of products per variation to be merchandised: 43,854 pieces of medium egg, 29,141 pieces of extra-large eggs and 22,147 pieces of green 555 sardines. On the other hand, the least number of products to be merchandised were kamatis, mango and maxwell 150g. Based on the acquired results, the researcher recommends the following: first, other programs in solving the optimum solution such as AMPL software, CPLEX, MATLAB, integer programming, and Maple may be used. Second, the profit optimization model of this research may be implemented in PSAU Consumers Cooperative to assess its effectiveness. Lastly, future research on the other field of businesses using profit optimization may be considered.

Rice Production of the Province of Tarlac, Philippines in Relation to Temperature and Rainfall

Ismael T. Hipolito and Alvin M. Supan

This study was conducted to determine the relation of Temperature and Rainfall to the production of rice in the province of Tarlac. The researcher aimed to provide insights about the Temperature and Rainfall and examined if they are predictors in the production of Rice in the province.
Through the use of a descriptive-inferential method, the researcher analyzed the collected data from 24 consecutive years namely Temperature, Rainfall and Rice Production. The results revealed that the Temperature and Rainfall Varies Monthly, Quarterly and Annually. The further findings of the study showed that the temperature was positively increasing, implying that the province was having higher temperature every year. Meanwhile, rainfall increased each year. The production of rice, in the province of Tarlac, was found to be positively increasing. Hence, the number of tons was seen to be positively expanding, having the highest rice yield record in 2014 for the past 24 years.
Based on the results that were regressed, the temperature and rainfall have not significant roles in shaping or predicting the rice production in the province of Tarlac. Furthermore, the temperature and rainfall data-imply that the two have “not significant” roles in shaping or predicting the rice production losses in the province.