Laying foundation of a successful social enterprise: case study of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Lipa’s Project GANAP

This case study underscores the significance of the different livelihood assets including human capital, financial capital, natural capital, physical capital, and social capital in the initiation phase of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Lipa’s Gawaing Nagpapaunlad ng Pangkabuhayan or Project GANAP. These assets were tagged necessary in the pursuit of positive livelihood outcome that is to uplift the lives of the families in Sitio Hillview in Lipa City, Batangas. In- depth interviews with JCI Lipa key persons and focus group discussion with women participants were conducted by the researcher to determine how the aforementioned livelihood assets were utilized by JCI Lipa. Gathered data revealed that utilization of the livelihood assets is subject to some vulnerabilities, thus sustainability efforts are paramount.. The researcher recommends that since livelihood assets potentially affect the use of other livelihood assets and effective utilization, thus, a study on the mutual impact of these assets not just with Project GANAP but with other governmental and non- governmental social enterprise initiatives be pursued in the future research

A Bioluminescent Sensor for Rapid Detection of PPEP-1, a Clostridioides difficile Biomarker

Current assays for Clostridioides difficile in nonhospital settings are outsourced and time-intensive, resulting in both delayed diagnosis and quarantining of infected individuals. We designed a more rapid point-of-care assay featuring a "turn-on " bioluminescent readout of a C. difficile-specific protease, PPEP-1. NanoLuc, a bright and stable luciferase, was "caged " with a PPEP-1-responsive peptide tail that inhibited luminescence. Upon proteolytic cleavage, the peptide was released and NanoLuc activity was restored, providing a visible readout. The bioluminescent sensor detected PPEP-1 concentrations as low as 10 nM. Sensor uncaging was achieved within minutes, and signal was captured using a digital camera. Importantly, the sensor was also functional at ambient temperature and compatible with fecal material, suggesting that it can be readily deployed in a variety of settings.Proteomic

Bringing analysis of gender and social–ecological resilience together in small-scale fisheries research: Challenges and opportunities

The demand for gender analysis is now increasingly orthodox in natural resource programming, including that for small-scale fisheries. Whilst the analysis of social–ecological resilience has made valuable contributions to integrating social dimensions into research and policy-making on natural resource management, it has so far demonstrated limited success in effectively integrating considerations of gender equity. This paper reviews the challenges in, and opportunities for, bringing a gender analysis together with social–ecological resilience analysis in the context of small-scale fisheries research in developing countries. We conclude that rather than searching for a single unifying framework for gender and resilience analysis, it will be more effective to pursue a plural solution in which closer engagement is fostered between analysis of gender and social-ecological resilience whilst preserving the strengths of each approach. This approach can make an important contribution to developing a better evidence base for small-scale fisheries management and policy

Consumer perceptions of beef healthiness: results from a qualitative study in four European countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Consumer perception of the healthiness of beef is an important determinant of beef consumption. However, little is known about how consumers perceive the healthiness of beef. The aim of this study is to shed light on the associations between beef and health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eight focus group discussions were conducted in four European countries (France, UK, Germany, Spain), each consisting of seven to nine participants. A content analysis was performed on the transcripts of these discussions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although beef was generally perceived as healthful, focus group participants expected positive as well as negative effects of beef consumption on their health. Labelled, branded, fresh and lean beef were perceived as signalling healthful beef, in contrast with further processed and packaged beef. Consumers felt that their individual choices could make a difference with respect to the healthiness of beef consumed. Focus group participants were not in favour of improving beef healthiness during processing, but rather focussed on appropriate consumption behaviour and preparation methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The individual responsibility for health implies that consumers should be able to make correct judgements about how healthful their food is. However, the results of this study indicate that an accurate assessment of beef healthiness is not always straightforward. The presented results on consumer perceptions of beef healthiness provide insights into consumer decision making processes, which are important for the innovation and product differentiation in the European beef sector, as well as for public health policy decisions related to meat consumption in general and beef consumption in particular.</p

Diversity of Global Rice Markets and the Science Required for Consumer-Targeted Rice Breeding

With the ever-increasing global demand for high quality rice in both local production regions and with Western consumers, we have a strong desire to understand better the importance of the different traits that make up the quality of the rice grain and obtain a full picture of rice quality demographics. Rice is by no means a ‘one size fits all’ crop. Regional preferences are not only striking, they drive the market and hence are of major economic importance in any rice breeding / improvement strategy. In this analysis, we have engaged local experts across the world to perform a full assessment of all the major rice quality trait characteristics and importantly, to determine how these are combined in the most preferred varieties for each of their regions. Physical as well as biochemical characteristics have been monitored and this has resulted in the identification of no less than 18 quality trait combinations. This complexity immediately reveals the extent of the specificity of consumer preference. Nevertheless, further assessment of these combinations at the variety level reveals that several groups still comprise varieties which consumers can readily identify as being different. This emphasises the shortcomings in the current tools we have available to assess rice quality and raises the issue of how we might correct for this in the future. Only with additional tools and research will we be able to define directed strategies for rice breeding which are able to combine important agronomic features with the demands of local consumers for specific quality attributes and hence, design new, improved crop varieties which will be awarded success in the global market

Percepção dos consumidores relativamente à carne de bovino: critérios de escolha a partir de grupos de discussão

Nas economias desenvolvidas, a segurança dos alimentos, o bem‑estar animal e o ambiente têm vindo a assumir relevância nas preocupações dos consumidores. Procurámos saber, através da metodologia dos grupos de discussão (focus groups) realizados em duas cidades de Portugal, Lisboa e Porto, as preocupações e perceções dos consumidores relativamente a estes atributos, os quais são essencialmente acreditados. Este conhecimento é fundamental para a aplicação posterior de métodos de preferências declaradas. Foi ainda possível obter, com base em exercícios de seleção entre carnes diferenciadas, e através de um modelo logit, intervalos de preços passíveis de serem utilizados posteriormente na definição de cenários em experiências de escolha (método de preferências declaradas) -----ABSTRACT-----In developed economies, food safety, animal welfare and the environment have become relevant consumers’ concerns. We conducted several focus groups in two Portuguese cities, Lisboa and Porto, in order to get participants perceptions and concerns for these attributes, which are essentially credence attributes. This knowledge is critical for the subsequent application of stated preference methods. It was also possible to estimate, based on exercises of selection among different meats, and through a logit model, price ranges that could be used in the definition of scenarios for choice experiments (stated preference method)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Study on the level of satisfaction among the consumers of easycall

Customers are the focus of everything we do. (EasyCall-Annual Report 1995). This is one of EasyCall\u27s guiding principles. In this pursuit, the company has adopted the Total Quality Management (TQM) policy which is focused on achieving continuous improvement on the services level and processes that translate into a higher customer satisfaction. The main aim of this study is to determine the perception of EasyCall subscribers towards the company\u27s services in terms of Message Handling Services, Billing and Collection and Front Office. The researchers conducted a survey through quota and judgment sampling with 200 respondents. It was conducted at the Front Office of EasyCally, different malls, and top universities in the Philippines namely De La Salle University (DLSU), Ateneo de Manila (ADMU), and University of the Philippines (UP). The questionnaire was divided into three parts regarding the following areas: first part is on what customers look for in a pager and their demographic profile second part asks about the perception of the respondents on five paging companies in terms of accessibility of paging lines, popularity, fees/rates, efficiency in sending messages, and accuracy of messages sent and the third part is on their level of satisfaction wherein the respondents where asked to choose from excellent, good and needs improvement rating on the different services the three departments offer