research

2025

1. 

   A Systematic Review and Current State of Research on Leptospirosis in Asia

   Erika Lynet Salvador, Roderick T. Salvador, and Ma. Cynthia Rundina Dela Cruz

   2025

   Work in progress

2024

1. Preprint

   

   Use of Boosting Algorithms in Household-Level Poverty Measurement: A Machine Learning Approach to Predict and Classify Household Wealth Quintiles in the Philippines

   Erika Lynet V. Salvador

   arXiv preprint arXiv:2407.13061, 2024

   Abs Bib

   This study assessed the effectiveness of machine learning models in predicting poverty levels in the Philippines using five boosting algorithms: Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), CatBoosting (CatBoost), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). CatBoost emerged as the superior model and achieved the highest scores across accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score at 91 percent, while XGBoost and GBM followed closely with 89 percent and 88 percent respectively. Additionally, the research examined the computational efficiency of these models to analyze the balance between training time, testing speed, and model size factors crucial for real-world applications. Despite its longer training duration, CatBoost demonstrated high testing efficiency. These results indicate that machine learning can aid in poverty prediction and in the development of targeted policy interventions. Future studies should focus on incorporating a wider variety of data to enhance the predictive accuracy and policy utility of these models.

   @article{salvador2024use,
     title = {Use of Boosting Algorithms in Household-Level Poverty Measurement: A Machine Learning Approach to Predict and Classify Household Wealth Quintiles in the Philippines},
     author = {Salvador, Erika Lynet V.},
     journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2407.13061},
     year = {2024},
     url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.13061},
   }

2023

1. DLSU ResCon

   

   A Systematic Review on the Biodegradability, Environmental Compatibility, and End-of-Life Management Options for Polylactic Acid (PLA) Polymers

   Erika Lynet V. Salvador, Amanda Cher L. Tavu, Eugene Vincent G. De Jesus, and 3 more authors

   In Proceedings of the 5th De La Salle University Senior High School Research Congress: Sustainability, Environment, and Energy, 2023

   Outstanding Research Award Abs Bib

   The SHS Research Award is a recognition of the exemplary research endeavors of the Grade 12 students from the different strands/track. He/she must have an accepted manuscript or capstone project in any academic journal, or in internal or external conferences. A gold medal is given to students who qualify for this award.

   The Philippines is a major contributor to global plastic waste, generating 2.7 million tons of plastic waste annually, 20% of which ends up in the country’s waterways. Bioplastics, which are made from renewable biomass, have been developed as a potential solution to this problem. However, the perception that bioplastics are inherently better and more environmentally-appropriate may lead to irresponsible disposal practices and their accumulation in the environment without proper decomposition. Thus, this study aimed to: (a) verify the biodegradability of polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics, (b) evaluate their environmental compatibility with soil, and (c) identify the most appropriate end-of-life management strategy specific to PLA bioplastics. This study conducted a systematic review of 27 studies published between 2013 and 2023. The study found that PLA bioplastics exhibited inconsistent biodegradability under anaerobic conditions but higher and more consistent biodegradability in aerobic conditions, particularly in high-temperature aerobic settings. Furthermore, the study also discovered that certain earthworm species can biodegrade PLA, but its microplastics have a negative impact on soil pH level and plant growth. Therefore, beyond composting, mechanical recycling was found to be the most sustainable end-of-life management strategy for PLA bioplastics.

   @inproceedings{salvador2023systematic,
     title = {A Systematic Review on the Biodegradability, Environmental Compatibility, and End-of-Life Management Options for Polylactic Acid (PLA) Polymers},
     author = {Salvador, Erika Lynet V. and Tavu, Amanda Cher L. and De Jesus, Eugene Vincent G. and Casyao, Amanda Margareth D. and Valenton, Chloe O. and Ang, Amira S.},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 5th De La Salle University Senior High School Research Congress: Sustainability, Environment, and Energy},
     year = {2023},
     url = {https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2023/paper_see/14/},
     publisher = {De La Salle University},
   }