Remote balance weighs accurately amid high radiation

Commercial beam-type balance, modified and outfitted with electronic controls and digital readout, can be remotely controlled for use in high radiation environments. This allows accurate weighing of breeder-reactor fuel pieces when they are radioactively hot

SPECIFICATION AND PROCUREMENT OF CP-5 FUEL TUBES.

Contains the specifications of CP-5 fuel tubes

Vegetable Purchase Patterns of Consumers in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

The goal to increase farm productivity, attain food security and safety, and alleviate poverty among smallholder farmers has urged government and nongovernment organizations in the Philippines to develop and promote organic and safe vegetables. While these products are healthier and safer, previous studies have proven that these are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. A mall intercept using a structured questionnaire was conducted to survey 240 respondents in Davao City and 110 respondents in Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) in Southern Philippines. This is a qualitative research that aims to provide information about the current vegetable purchase patterns of consumers in both study areas and to identify its implications and opportunities for organic and safe vegetable producers. Results show that more than 50% of the respondents in both cities purchase vegetables in wet markets and supermarkets on a weekly basis. In terms of expenditure on vegetables, 85% of the respondents in CDO and 74% of the respondents in Davao City have expenditure on vegetables of at most PhP500 per week. The majority of consumers in both cities buy vegetables mostly from wet markets because vegetables are sold at a lower price, are fresher, and there is wider product assortment. Consumers in Davao City and CDO buy vegetables from supermarkets because of convenience and cleanliness, respectively. They purchase mostly tomatoes, eggplants, and cabbages. Based on previous studies, these vegetable purchase patterns of consumers have not changed for over ten years. Thus, this challenges organic and safe vegetable producers, as well as other vegetable industry stakeholders, to produce cheap but high-quality vegetables

Factors Affecting Farmer’s Decision to Remain in Organic Rice Production: The Case of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, Philippines

Only few farmers in the municipality of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, continue to produce rice through organic farming. Although the price of organic rice is relatively higher compared to the conventional one, the majority of the organic rice farmers reverted back to conventional farming. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the influences that affect the decisions of organic rice farmers in Magsaysay to remain in organic farming through logistic regression analysis. Moreover, this study employed cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to evaluate the benefits and costs associated with organic and conventional rice production. Sixty farmers participated in the survey; 20 were organic farmers (out of 21 members of MOFARMCO) and 40 (out of 124) were previously organic farmers who reverted back to conventional farming methods. The result of the logit model showed that family labor size, perception on organic farming, and age significantly influence the decisions of rice farmers to remain in organic farming. Meanwhile, the cost-benefit analysis revealed that although the yield per hectare obtained in organic farming was less, it was still more profitable due to higher selling price and lower cost of production. In order to expand the use of organic farming in Magsaysay, it is important for the local government units and nongovernment organizations to formulate an organic farming promotion policy taking into consideration the results of this study. Moreover, this study recommends policy formulation and regulation to strengthen market development as well as the conduct of research and development programs to increase yield from organic farming

Food Safety Concerns of Vegetable Consumers in Davao City, Philippines

Food safety has become a growing concern among vegetable consumers. Studies have shown changes in the purchasing pattern of consumers due to food safety concerns. In developed countries, food quality and safety have become increasingly important attributes being considered due to food-borne diseases. In this paper, we determined the consumers’ level of food safety concern at various stages along the vegetable value chain and analyzed how it affects their purchase patterns. We conducted a mall intercept survey among 240 respondents at two supermarkets in Davao City, Philippines, using a structured questionnaire and organized focus group discussions (FGDs) to triangulate our findings. Slovin’s formula was used to determine the sample size. Results showed that most of the consumers were extremely concerned with the amount of chemicals used in vegetable production, cleanliness of storage conditions, retail and entire market outlet, disposal of waste vegetables, quality of vegetables used in presliced packs, and quality of water used in washing vegetables. Ironically, despite their high level of concern on food safety, particularly on chemical residues, most of the respondents always purchase conventional vegetables and never purchase certified organic vegetables. This can be attributed to the wide price difference of certified organic and conventional vegetables. Based on FGD results, consumers emphasized the importance of certification as an assurance of safety. However, consumers demand that food quality and safety assurance should be delivered at a reasonable price. The challenge for stakeholders in the vegetable supply chains is to reduce the cost of certification while ensuring food safety and traceability along the chain

Willingness to Pay for Certified Safe Vegetables in Davao City, Philippines

Safe vegetable production is being practiced in the Philippines to address food safety concerns on vegetables. In this study, we assessed the viability of producing and marketing certified safe vegetables in Davao City by estimating consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for certified safe vegetables and analyzing the factors affecting it. The determinants of the consumer decision whether to purchase certified safe vegetables and WTP for certified safe vegetables were analyzed using logistic and Tobit regression, respectively. We found that most consumers in Davao City are willing to purchase (ranging from 82% to 91%) certified safe vegetables. The factors that significantly affect the likelihood of a consumer to purchase certified safe vegetables at the wet market are civil status, educational attainment, and frequency of purchase and the factors that significantly affect the likelihood of a consumer to purchase certified safe vegetables at the supermarket are gender and vegetable expense. On the average, Davao City consumers are willing to pay an additional PhP6.00/kg and PhP5.50/kg on top of the regular retail price for certified safe vegetables sold at the wet market and supermarket, respectively. These findings imply that there is a market for certified safe vegetables in Davao City as indicated by the consumers’ willingness to purchase and willingness to pay. However, it should be noted that these consumers are willing to pay only a small premium above regular retail prices. Vegetable farmers and marketers can capitalize on this opportunity, but the cost of producing and marketing certified safe vegetables must not exceed its potential benefits

The Roles of Vegetable Value Chain Actors in the Changing Agri-food System: The Case of Davao City, Philippines

Several studies have shown that the retail food industry has been expanding and that consumers have changed their purchase patterns and preferences over time. These challenge vegetable value chain actors to respond to such trends. Hence, this study seeks to examine how players in the chain respond to the changes in the agri-food system, document the changes in the roles of vegetable value chain actors, and identify implications for smallholder producers. One to three interviews were conducted for each of the 15 types of vegetable value chain actors in Davao City, Southern Philippines, which totals 37 key informant interviews. The respondents were asked regarding vegetable industry trends, their roles and functions, their volume and quality requirements, and their willingness to source directly from farmer groups. A survey was also conducted among 60 vegetable farmers in Davao City to assess their roles in the chain. Farmers’ socio-demographic profiles and production and marketing practices were gathered. This study reveals that the layers in the chains have reduced because wholesalers have started to perform forward integration by producing vegetables, moving closer to the production sites, financing vegetable production to establish a strong supply base, and strengthening relationship with suppliers and buyers. Smallholder producers, on the other hand, remain to be heavily dependent on financiers. There are, however, opportunities for smallholder producers, such as organizing themselves into groups to market collectively, share risks, and take advantage of economies of scale and improving production to ensure that they produce better quality vegetables and become more competitive

Complete Genome Sequence of Noncytopathic Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus 1 Contaminating a High-Passage RK-13 Cell Line

A high-passage rabbit kidney RK-13 cell line (HP-RK-13[KY], originally derived from the ATCC CCL-37 cell line) used in certain laboratories worldwide is contaminated with noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (ncpBVDV). On complete genome sequence analysis, the virus strain was found to belong to BVDV group 1b

How can personal development lead to increased engagement? The roles of meaningfulness and perceived line manager relations

There is an increasing need to understand the psychological processes that link personal development with employee engagement, particularly the boundary conditions at which these occur. The current study sought to meet this need by testing whether perceived opportunities for development are positively associated with job engagement indirectly through the experience of meaningfulness, and whether this indirect relationship is conditional on the level of perceived line manager relations. Questionnaire data was collected from 152 UK workers from a range of occupations and organizations. The results found support for all the hypotheses. In particular, the positive effects of perceived opportunities for development on job engagement (measured one month later) via meaningfulness were only significant for those who perceived that they had a good relationship with their line manager. Thus, there is a need for line managers to develop high quality relationships with their direct reports in order for development practices to translate into positive psychological outcomes. Engagement theory could be advanced by further understanding broaden-and-build and social exchange processes

BREEDING-GAIN SPECIMENS FOR EBR-I CORE IV

The design and fabrication of Al-clad Pu folis and slugs, enriched and depleted U foils, and depleted U blanket slugs for breeding-gain studies with the plutonium core IV are described. The construction and dimensions of the irradiation baskets and thimbles are shown, and the special core fuel, blanket, and thermocouple rods are described. (D.C.W.