Investigating the Response of Magnetotactic Bacteria to Varying Field Strength and Developing Autonomous Analysis of Spatial Dispersal

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are single-celled organisms which contain organelles called “magnetosomes,” membrane-bound ferrous nanocrystals. These organelles allow for magnetotaxis, which is movement guided by magnetic fields. MTB are generally found in the top layers of sediment of aqueous environments, and magnetotaxis is thought to help guide these microbes to ideal oxygen concentrations in the water after they may have been displaced by turbulent waters. In this we study the effect of the strength of a magnetic field on magnetotaxis

Contemporary Media Society in the Age of Hyperreality

This paper will examine Jean Baudrillard’s reflections regarding the contemporary relation of the public with a society that has been seemingly dominated by the hyperrealized function of the media. For Baudrillard, contemporary society’s engagement with truth as it relates to the everyday issues of life is structured, and to a certain extent, manipulated by the hyperrealized media. The masses, however, Baudrillard observes, are far from being simply exploited and controlled by media and may have in fact “adapted” to the systemic indifference of the hyperreal

Releasement and Seduction: Heidegger and Baudrillard on the Preservation of Illusion in the Epoch of Obscenity

This work interfaces the philosophies of Jean Baudrillard and Martin Heidegger. It hopes to contribute to both Heideggerian and Baudrillardian scholarship by employing Baudrillardian ideas in more effectively describing the historical happening of the so-called withdrawal of Being from man, which preoccupied much of Heidegger’s body of work. The work argues that by re-visiting an earlier idea of Baudrillard, which he termed as seduction, one finds a possible way of navigating the obscenity of the current epoch of Being. Akin to Heidegger’s idea of Gelassenheit or releasement, Baudrillard’s concept of seduction invites one to allow the real to once again appear, no longer by way of subjective representation, but to let it appear in its very disappearance in hyperreality

Physician User Perspectives in the Practice of Telemedicine in the Philippines

Telemedicine can bridge gaps in healthcare by providing expert opinion to healthcare providers in remote areas, but has remained underutilised locally. Objectives: To determine how the National Telehealth Center, Manila, Philippines, can manage user physician expectations of telemedicine in order to maximise its benefits, by determining which factors influence physicians to adopt and use telemedicine. Methods: A questionnaire was adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model of technology acceptance and sent to rural physicians. Focus group discussions were also held among key informants to determine their perceptions and attitudes towards telemedicine. Results: Social influence was the most important factor that influenced intention to use telemedicine, and with other factors studied (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, attitude, and facilitating conditions) explained 54.8% of the variance in the decision to use telemedicine. Major findings that emerged from the group discussions were the inadequacy of the present telecommunication infrastructure, the need to have specialists always available to answer referrals, while retaining e-mail and SMS for elective referrals. Conclusion: Practical steps such as transmission of constant reminders, improvement of the existing support system, and recruitment of thought leaders can increase the use and adoption of telemedicine among its target user physicians

Tragedy, History, and Ecstasy: Concerning Nietzsche’s “Untimely” Ideas on Authentic Selfhood

This paper proposes that there exists a specific philosophical connection between Nietzsche’s thoughts on tragedy in Birth of Tragedy and his thoughts on history in “On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life.” The paper hopes to enrich one’s appreciation of Nietzsche’s early ideas on authentic selfhood by showing the relation between Dionysiac ecstasy and unhistorical consciousness. A postscript in the last part of the paper examines Philippine folk religiosity within the framework of the aforementioned connection between Dionysiac ecstasy and unhistorical consciousness

Selfhood and Destiny: On Heidegger’s Call for Poetic Self-Renewal in the Contemporary Age of Devastation

This essay aims to map out the path of devastation that has left ushomeless and, as the thinker Martin Heidegger says, frantically andthoughtlessly seeking for our identity. The first part of the paper will bean exposition on Heidegger’s ideas concerning the history of oblivionand how this may aid us to see where we have to be at present. Thesecond part will use for its point of departure Heidegger’s insights onforgetfulness to explain how he perceives the possibility of salvation fromsuch a threat by expounding on his ideas concerning the “fourfold” andits relationship with selfhood. The last part of the paper will then discusshis idea of poetic dwelling and how this is in fact the path towards anauthentic re-building of the self in the midst of Being’s withdrawal anddevastation. Given Heidegger’s contention that the destiny of the selfis tied up with the destining of Being, this paper will show that it isonly by thoroughly examining the destining of absence, oblivion andwithdrawal issued by history itself that we may build ourselves oncemore. This time, we shall do so in a more essential way, more heedful ofthe directives inscribed in our very beings as the ones tasked to recoverourselves from the mire of forgetfulness, and as mortal dwellers on theearth, under the sky, awaiting the divinities

Ferriols at Heidegger: Ang Pagbigkas sa Kasaysayan bilang Talagang Nangyayari

This essay aims to view the philosophy of Roque J. Ferriols, from a Heideggerian perspective. It argues that Ferriols’ way of philosophizing may be appreciated by illuminating it with Heidegger’s authentically historical way of philosophizing. Heidegger’s Wiederholung or creative retrieval of Ancient Greek philosophy is evident in Ferriols’ own approach in thinking meron. Both hold that genuinely historical philosophical thinking may not be reduced to a historiographical approach to philosophizing, akin to Nietzsche’s account of the antiquarian approach to history. To wit, it may be argued that Ferriols’ way of thinking is somehow similar to Heidegger’s insofar as it desires to perform its own unique way of creatively retrieving the meaning of meron from its authentically historical roots as talagang nangyayari, as thought and lived out in the Filipino context. Ferriols’ pagbigkas sa meron resonates with Heidegger’s call to retrieve the historically forgotten meaning of Sein

THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS’ MENTAL MODELS OF BLOOD CIRCULATION RELATED TO EXERCISE

Students’ prior knowledge plays an important role in learning viewed as a conceptual change process. In physical education, positive changes in students’ lifestyles may come from changes in their conceptual understanding of the physiological effects of exercise on the body. Among physical education teachers, charged with teaching health content related to physical activity, a better understanding of students’ mental models of blood circulation and how it pertains to exercise may be useful in order to promote an effective instruction-induced conceptual change. The purpose of this study was to examine third to fifth grade students’ mental models of blood circulation related to exercise. The students (N=107) were interviewed during their regular physical education class on their understanding of blood circulation during exercise. The interviews were analyzed using descriptive and axial coding and the emerging categories and topics were examined. The results revealed an initial mental model (when you exercise, your blood goes everywhere in your body) and three synthetic mental models described through the ‘blood journey’ metaphor. These results are discussed in relation to: (a) the gradual nature of students’ mental models, (b) the developmental and non-developmental progression of students’ mental models, and (c) learning failures during the process of conceptual change

A cultural models approach to osteoporosis prevention and treatment

This article identifies cultural models of osteoporosis, as shared by community-dwelling older women in southeastern Australia, and compares these with cultural knowledge conveyed through social marketing. Cultural models are mental constructs about specific domains in everyday life, such as health and illness, which are shared within a community. We applied domain analyses to data obtained from in-depth interviews and stakeholder-identified print materials. The response domains identified from our case studies made up the shared cultural model &ldquo;Osteoporosis has low salience,&rdquo; particularly when ranked against other threats to health. The cultural knowledge reflected in the print materials supported a cultural model of low salience. Cultural cues embedded in social marketing messages on osteoporosis may be internalized and motivating in unintended ways. Identifying and understanding cultural models of osteoporosis within a community may provide valuable insights to inform the development of targeted health messages.<br /

The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in a random sample from the Australian population

&nbsp;Objective: Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in older adults, and may increase the risk of cognitive impairment. The distribution of vitamin B12 insufficiency in younger age groups is less studied. This study aims to assess the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency (&lt;156&rho;mol/L) and subclinical low-normal levels (156-250&rho;mol/L) in a large, random sample of the Australian population across the adult life span. Methods: We examined serum vitamin B12 levels in a random sample of 1,085 men and 1,125 women aged 20-97 years between 1994 and 2006; in the Barwon Statistical Division, a regional area in south eastern Australia that is representative of the socioeconomic status of the Australian population. Results: The age-standardised prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in this cohort of men and women was 3.6%. Subclinical low-normal vitamin B12 levels (156-250&rho;mol/L) were found in 26%. Serum vitamin B12 levels declined with age among men (p-value &lt;0.001) and were lower in men than women (p-value &lt;0.001). Vitamin B12 levels were higher among supplement users (8.0% of the cohort). Conclusions: Vitamin B12 levels decline with age, and have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive decline. Early intervention by diet education or supplement use to address this age-associated decline in vitamin levels may be an effective strategy to prevent decline in a significant segment of the population. Such intervention may need to start in mid-life (from 50-years of age) before the onset age-related decline in vitamin B12 levels