Arachis hypogaea AS BIOMARKER OF TOXIC METALS
AND OTHER SOIL CONTAMINANTS
Johnny A. Ching
Biological Sciences Department, College of Science and Computer Studies,
De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines
ABSTRACT
There has been an increasing interest in the use of biomarkers for the assessment of the potential adverse effects of chemicals on the environment. Biomarker is any biological response to a chemical that gives a measure of exposure and of its toxic effect. The present study has investigated on the potentials of the tissue organization and nitrogen concentration in the leaves and protein content of seeds of Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut) as biomarkers on the adverse effects of several heavy metals of environmental interest. Peanut seeds were grown in soil pots contaminated with low and high levels of copper, zinc, manganese, cadmium, chromium, and lead. The results indicate that the minor abnormalities in the arrangement and structure of the palisade mesophyll in the leaves of peanut treated, with high levels of Zn, Cd and Cr, as well as the significant decrease in the nitrogen concentration in the leaves of peanuts grown with low and high levels of Cu, Mn, and Cd and with high level of Pb, and the significant decrease in the protein content of the seeds of all the metal-treated plants by as much as 31%, can be used as bioindicators for the adverse effect of the aforementioned heavy metals.
Key words: bioindicator, biomarker, heavy metals, palisade mesophyll, peanut
ASSESSING VALUES INTEGRATION IN LEARNING SACRAMENTS,
MARRIAGE, AND FAMILY LIFE COURSE
Esteban T. Salibay, Jr.
Religious Education Department, College of Education,
De La Salle University-Dasmarinas, Dasmarinas City, Cavite, Philippines
ABSTRACT
The study was done to assess values are integrated in Religious Education (REED) course: Sacraments, Marriage, and Family Life. The integration of values in learning this course was assessed through the end of instruction departmentalized examinations. Five hundred students (20.0%) who took the subject and 12 (100%) teachers who taught the subject answered the validated questionnaire. The results reflected differing assessment of values integration in learning the said subject. The teachers favored (weighted mean=3.56) that there is values integration in the subject taught following one syllabus and examination across aspects of learning: Cognitive, Effective and Psycho-motor. The students, on the contrary, did not favor the integration of values specifically on the effective and psycho-motor learning. However, the students favored that cognitive learning is achieved in the departmentalized exam. Over-all the students were undecided (weighted mean=3.37) whether values were integrated in learning Sacraments, Marriage and Family Life subject. Hence, there is a significant difference (p=0.0354) on the perception of the students and teachers in assessing values integration in Sacraments, Marriage, and Family Life course.
Key words: Family life, marriage, religious education (REED) course, sacraments, values integration