Tenure Security and Well-being of Indigenous Communities in the Uplands

Rolando T. Bello,Amelia L. Bello 한국무역연구원 2010 The International Academy of Global Business and T Vol.6 No.1

Indigenous peoples belong to the marginalized sector of society. They are characterized by a host of attributes, foremost of which are limited income opportunities and lack of access to basic services. These concerns, in addition, are particularly important for the Indigenous Peoples because they occupy ancestral lands for which they claim ownership. For the Indigenous Peoples, land, culture and life are intertwined and inseparable. Thus, the different and often times conflicting perspectives and values attached to the same parcel of land give rise to problems and abuses.

Transforming Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries into Agricultural Entrepreneurs : The Case of The Abaca Production with Processing in BOAC, Marinduque, Philippines

Rolando T. Bello,Amelia L. Bello 한국무역연구원 2012 The International Academy of Global Business and T Vol.8 No.2

The paper illustrates the transition process faced by a multipurpose cooperative operating in an agrarian reform community as it evolves into an agri-business enterprise. The cooperative is considered an agrarian reform beneficiary organization, having been formed by agrarian reform beneficiaries. The cooperative is proposing to grow abaca and use it in the making of slippers. A needs assessment framework was utilized.

Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Maize Yield as Influenced by Integrated Nutrient Management

Bello Wasiu,Alabi Adedamola 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6

Smokers and Marriage: Attitude of Youth in the United Arab Emirates

Bello, Salihu Umar,Jibril, Mohammad Awwa,Hassam, Hessa Ali,Haisan, Faris,Zaabi, Jasem Al,Daura, Hafsatu Sani Zangon,Shaikh, Rizwana B.,Sharbatti, Shatha Al,Mathew, Elsheba,Sreedharan, Jayadevan,Muttap Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Introduction: In order to control the tobacco scourge, an array of measures is required. Among them is focusing on adolescent relationships as it has been shown that being in a close relationship with a smoker or a non smoker will in the long run be a major factor in deciding whether the individual adopts smoking for initial non-smokers or ceases the habit for initial smokers. Objectives: To assess the attitude of youth towards other smokers and towards marrying a smoker. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 415 students from five universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Self-administered structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The Chi square test was used to detect significant differences between frequencies. Results: Of the 415 participants who provided their gender information, 99 (24%) were males and 314 (76%) were females. Of all the participants, 83.5% were not willing to marry smokers, while 16.5% were willing. Of those whose parents smoked (106) 68% did not like it when their parents smoked, 13.6% had no opinion, 17.5% did not mind, while the other 1% had other thoughts. Of those whose close friends smoked, 43.4% did not like it, 16.2% did not have any opinion, 36.9% did not mind while 3.5% had other thoughts. Conclusion: Most participants, both males and females are not willing to marry smokers and prefer to have non-smokers as spouses. Also, smokers are seen as less attractive by both genders in contrast to what appears as popular beliefs amongst youngsters and what is depicted in tobacco advertisements. Tobacco control activities can be undertaken in the community and colleges by incorporating students as facilitators.

Current approaches in biomaterial-based hematopoietic stem cell niches

Bello, Alvin Bacero,Park, Hansoo,Lee, Soo-Hong Elsevier Science B.V. Amsterdam 2018 ACTA BIOMATERIALIA Vol.72 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells that can differentiate and replenish blood and immune cells. While there is a growing demand for autologous and allogeneic HSC transplantation owing to the increasing incidence of hereditary and hematologic diseases, the low population of HSCs in cord-blood and bone marrow (the main source of HSCs) hinders their medical applicability. Several cytokine and growth factor-based methods have been developed to expand the HSCs <I>in vitro</I>; however, the expansion rate is low, or the expanded cells fail to survive upon engraftment. This is at least in part because the overly simplistic polystyrene culture substrates fail to fully replicate the microenvironments or niches where these stem cells live. Bone marrow niches are multi-dimensional, complex systems that involve both biochemical (cells, growth factors, and cytokines) and physiochemical (stiffness, O<SUB>2</SUB> concentration, and extracellular matrix presentation) factors that regulate the quiescence, proliferation, activation, and differentiation of the HSCs. Although several studies have been conducted on <I>in vitro</I> HSC expansion via 2D and 3D biomaterial-based platforms, additional work is required to engineer an effective biomaterial platform that mimics bone marrow niches. In this study, the factors that regulate the HSC <I>in vivo</I> were explained and their applications in the engineering of a bone marrow biomaterial-based platform were discussed. In addition, current approaches, challenges, and the future direction of a biomaterial-based culture and expansion of the HSC were examined.</P> <P><B>Statement of Significance</B></P> <P>Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are multipotent cells that can differentiate and replace the blood and immune cells of the body. However, <I>in vivo</I>, there is a low population of these cells, and thus their use in biotherapeutic and medical applications is limited (i.e., bone marrow transplantation). In this review, the biochemical factors (growth factors, cytokines, co-existing cells, ECM, gas concentrations, and differential gene expression) that may regulate the over-all fate of HSC, <I>in vivo,</I> were summarized and discussed. Moreover, different conventional and recent biomaterial platforms were reviewed, and their potential in generating a biomaterial-based, BM niche-mimicking platform for the efficient growth and expansion of clinically relevant HSCs <I>in-vitro</I>, was discussed.</P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>On making an <I>in vitro</I> bone marrow (BM): The essential components. To make a bone marrow mimicking microenvironment for the growth and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells, several factors need to be taken into consideration. These factors include the BM’s in-vivo biochemical properties (growth factors hormones, co-existing cells, ECM, gas concentrations, regulated gene expression) and the biomaterial properties (type, dimension, topography, and mechanical strength).</P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Impact of Treatment Type on Overall Survival in Elderly Brazilian Women with Breast Cancer

Bello, Marcelo Adeodato,de Menezes, Raquel Ferreira,de Sousa Silva, Brunna,da Silva, Rafael de Carvalho,Cavalcanti, Rousiane Silva,da Costa Moraes, Thayane de Fatima,Tonellotto, Fabiana,de Aguiar, Suz Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.10

Objective: To analyze the survival of elderly patients with breast cancer according to the type of treatment used. Methods: A cohort study of women aged 80 or over with breast cancer registered with the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (Instituto Nacional do $C{\hat{a}}ncer$ - INCA) between 2008 and 2009 was conducted. Prognosis was analyzed according to the cancer treatment performed: surgery, radiotherapy, or hormone therapy. Analysis of the overall 5-year survival rate was performed using the Kaplan - Meier method, and comparisons of curves were undertaken using the log-rank test. For multiple regression analysis, Cox regression was used, adjusting for age and clinical stage, considering values of p < 0.05 as significant. Data were all analyzed using the statistical package SPSS version 20. Results: 70 women with a mean age of $84.0{\pm}3.7years$ at diagnosis participated in the study. The median follow-up time was 37.1 months (range 0.5-75.5), and 31 deaths (44.3%) occurred during this time. The median survival time was 51.2 months (95% CI, 44.9-57.4), higher in those who underwent surgery (p = 0.012) and those who had hormone therapy (p=0.001). Treatment with surgery reduced the risk of death by 61.7% (HR 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.6; p = 0.001) when adjusted for clinical stage and age at diagnosis. However, there was no significant benefit from radiotherapy (HR 1.2; 95% CI, 0.5-2.5; p = 0.694). Conclusion: Treatment with surgery and hormone therapy increased the survival of our Brazilian patients with breast cancer aged 80 or over.

Lipid bilayer membrane technologies: A review on single-molecule studies of DNA sequencing by using membrane nanopores

Bello, J.,Kim, Y. R.,Kim, S. M.,Jeon, T. J.,Shim, J. Springer-Verlag 2017 Mikrochimica acta Vol.184 No.7

<P>Nanopores based on alpha-hemolysin and MspA represent attractive sensing platforms due to easy production and operation with relatively low background noise. Such characteristics make them highly favorable for sequencing nucleic acids. Artificial lipid bilayer membranes, also referred to as black lipid membranes, in conjunction with membrane nanopores, can be applied to both the detection and highly efficient sequencing of DNA on a single-molecule level. However, the inherently weak physical properties of the membrane have impeded progress in these areas. Current issues impeding the ultimate recognition of the artificial lipid bilayer as a viable platform for detection and sequencing of DNA include membrane stability, lifespan, and automation. This review (with 105 references) highlights attempts to improve the attributes of the artificial lipid bilayer membrane starting with an overview on the present state and limitations. The first main section covers lipid bilayer membranes (BLM) in general. The following section reviews the various kinds of lipid bilayer membrane platforms with subsections on polymer membranes, solid-supported membranes, hydrogel-encapsulated membranes, shippable and storable membrane platforms, and droplet interface bilayers. A further section covers engineered biological nanopore sensor applications using BLMs with subsections offering a comparative view of different DNA sequencing methods, a detailed look at DNA Sequencing by synthesis using alpha-hemolysin nanopores, sequencing by synthesis using the MspA nanopore and quadromer map, and on limitations of sequencing based on synthesis technology. We present an outlook at the end that discusses current research trends on single-molecule sequencing to highlight the significance of this technology and its potential in the medical and environmental fields.</P>

Social big data: Recent achievements and new challenges

Bello-Orgaz, G.,Jung, J. J.,Camacho, D. Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. 2016 Information fusion Vol.28 No.-

Democratization and Stabilization in the Philippines

Bello, Walden Center for International Studies, Inha University 1989 Pacific Focus Vol.4 No.1

Psychometric Validation of the Malaysian Chinese Version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Magaji, Bello Arkilla,Moy, Foong Ming,Roslani, April Camilla,Law, Chee Wei,Sagap, Ismail Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.18

Background and Aims: Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cancer in Malaysia. We aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Malaysian Chinese version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire core (QLQ-C30) in patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Translated versions of the QLQ-C30 were obtained from the EORTC. A cross sectional study design was used to obtain data from patients receiving treatment at two teaching hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Malaysian Chinese version of QLQ-C30 was self-administered in 96 patients while the Karnofsky Performance Scales (KPS) was generated by attending surgeons. Statistical analysis included reliability, convergent, discriminate validity, and known-groups comparisons. Statistical significance was based on p value ${\leq}0.05$. Results: The internal consistencies of the Malaysian Chinese version were acceptable [Cronbach's alpha (${\alpha}{\geq}0.70$)] in the global health status/overall quality of life (GHS/QOL), functioning scales except cognitive scale (${\alpha}{\leq}0.32$) in all levels of analysis, and social/family functioning scale (${\alpha}=0.63$) in patients without a stoma. All questionnaire items fulfilled the criteria for convergent and discriminant validity except question number 5, with correlation with role (r = 0.62) and social/family (r = 0.41) functioning higher than with physical functioning scales (r = 0.34). The test-retest coefficients in the GHS/QOL, functioning scales and in most of the symptoms scales were moderate to high (r = 0.58 to 1.00). Patients with a stoma reported statistically significant lower physical functioning (p=0.015), social/family functioning (p=0.013), and higher constipation (p=0.010) and financial difficulty (p=0.037) compared to patients without stoma. There was no significant difference between patients with high and low KPS scores. Conclusions: Malaysian Chinese version of the QLQ-C30 is a valid and reliable measure of HRQOL in patients with colorectal cancer.