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This study unpacks socially shared meanings of internal displacement as illustrated in Philippine media, using a social representations approach. Following our theoretical framework, we identified processes of symbolic coping about internal displacement from among 422 media articles published between 2006 and 2020. Philippine media uses anchoring and objectification in socially representing forced migration. It associates internal displacement with events in Philippine history and links it with everyday emotions like anger, anxiety and fear. It describes involuntary migration using metaphors such as hell on earth, chicken in a coop and canned sardines. It uses symbolism, such as footwear and doll, to demonstrate evacuee empowerment and personifies the internally displaced as Muslims or Indigenous Peoples who are fleeing for their lives while carrying their possessions. Our findings point to internal displacement as a space not only for suffering and deprivation but also for sustaining oneself and demonstrating human agency. Our study shows that beyond the dire circumstances surrounding internal displacement are structural issues that need to be dealt with: armed conflicts, terrorism, violence and disaster management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane farmers commonly use press mud as organic fertilizer to improve the properties of soil and increase crop production. This study compared the effects of press mud on bacterial community structure, bacterial diversity, and physicochemical parameters of sugar mill soil in two sites, the URC Passi Sugar Central and Passi Sugar Central, Inc. both in Panay, Philippines. DNA and soil analyses were conducted to characterize the soil samples with and without press mud from both sites. The results showed that all nutrient contents increased in both areas after press mud application, except in URC Passi Sugar Central, where no increase in phosphorus and sulfur was observed. Bacterial diversity did not significantly increase six months after press mud application. Community pattern results showed that if soil samples within sites were compared, soil with press mud was significantly higher compared to the soil without press mud in terms of OTU richness (Capiz sugar central: 46.00±1.00, 40.00±1.50, respectively; URC Passi Sugar Central: 48.00±0.50, 45.00±0.00, respectively) and carrying capacity (Capiz sugar central: 169±7.36, 125±9.48, respectively; URC Passi Sugar Central: 181±3.80, 162±0.00, respectively) (p<0.05). The same trend was observed in soil samples between sites that were compared. Soil without press mud from URC Passi Sugar Central had a significantly higher compared with soil without press mud of Capiz Sugar Central in terms of OTU richness (45.00±0.00, 40.00±1.50, respectively) and carrying capacity (162±0.00, 125±9.48, respectively) (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in soil with press mud between the two sites in OTU richness, carrying capacity, Shannon, and Evenness analyses (p>0.05). The phylogenetic tree analysis showed that Massilia sp. is closely related to Burkholderia arboris, and Lysobacter sp. is closely related to both Massilia sp. and B. arboris. Generally, press mud application helps increase the available nutrients, diversity, and community patterns in soil, making it good organic fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful use of the nanoscale-dependent properties of nanomaterials on infectious diseases diagnostics devices lies on a well-engineered surface of both the probes and the transducer. Engineering probe and transducer surfaces involve functionalization of nanomaterials, conjugation to biorecognition elements and nanopatterning. This review presents the most common and most promising functional groups, bioconjugation schemes and patterning strategies of nanomaterials on sensing devices and their specific application to infectious pathogen detection.