The Philippine Duck Industry: Issues and Research Needs

The Philippine duck industry is dominated by balut (partially hatched embryos) production and by smallholder production that accounted for more than 75 percent of the total duck production. However, the commercial sector is gaining momentum in moving towards a higher degree of vertical integration and contract farming and there appears to be some increase in the demand for duck meat. At present, almost all of the demand for duck eggs is met by domestic production while about two percent of duck meat consumption is imported. As such, imports appear not to be a serious threat to the domestic supply at present. However, it is envisaged that as trade liberalisation continues, the Philippine duck industry will face increasing competition from overseas and other food products. Continuing survival and future growth of the industry depend on its ability to compete in a free trade environment, which, in turn, depends on efficiency of the production and marketing systems relative its competitors. The objectives of this paper are to provide an overview of the industry, identify industry issues and suggest areas for further research. The key issues identified in this paper include (1) a possible declining demand for duck products; (2) the absence of product standards and market information; and (3) the collection and consistency of BAS data. One suggestion is that expert opinions are needed to reconcile discrepancies in the published data. In addition, more research is needed on several areas, including identifying issues facing the smallholders, including the emergence of large scale commercial duck farms; better understanding of consumer demand; defining and establishing product standards, and generating more reliable market intelligence.duck, poultry marketing, trade liberalisation, balut, Industrial Organization, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

Glossary – Strike-slip Deformation, Basin Formation, and Sedimentation

Many of the geological terms having to do with strike slip deformation, basin formation, and sedimentation are used in a variety of ways by different authors (e.g., pull-apart basin), or they are synonymous with other words (e.g., left-lateral, sinistral). Rather than enforcing a rigorously uniform terminology in this book, we decided to set down our preferred definitions in a glossary, and where appropriate to indicate alternative usage In selecting terms for definition, we have tried to steer a course between being overly encyclopedic and providing a list useful to those having little familiarity with the geology of strike slip basins, especially those described in this volume. Some words (e.g., cycle) have additional meanings in the geological sciences not included here, and this glossary should therefore be used in the context of strike slip basins. The references cited are those from which we obtained definitions, or which illustrate the concept embodied by a particular term. We have not attempted to provide original references for every term, especially for those long used in the geological literature

Post-Reproductive Pacific Salmon, Oncorhynchus spp., as a Major Nutrient Source for Large Aggregations of Gulls, Larus spp.

On the Pacific coast of North America, the most abundant vertebrate visitors to estuaries and rivers during salmon migration are gulls, yet the utilization of salmon nutrients by these scavengers, and subsequent ecological impacts are not well documented. On two forested watersheds on the central coast of British Columbia, we tracked gull abundance during the spawning period for two consecutive years, and estimated consumption of post-reproductive salmon carcasses and eggs, as well as guano production. At Clatse River, gulls (Larus glaucescens, L. argentatus, L. thayerii, L. californicus, L. canus, L. philadelphia) consumed 13-26% of total salmon carcass biomass and 29-36% of all salmon eggs deposited in the system. At Neekas River, gulls consumed 11-19% of salmon carcass biomass and 7-18% of total salmon eggs. Local guano production over the 60-day period ranged from 600 kg to 1190 kg at Clatse and from 1200 kg to 2100 kg at Neekas River, and was distributed to marine, estuarine, freshwater and riparian habitats. The large aggregations of gulls and subsequent nutrient cycling observed on our study watersheds may represent a once widespread phenomenon that is now largely reduced due to recent declines in salmon populations

Magnetic structure of the field-induced multiferroic GdFe3(BO3)4

We report a magnetic x-ray scattering study of the field-induced multiferroic GdFe3(BO3)4. Resonant x-ray magnetic scattering at the Gd LII,III edges indicates that the Gd moments order at TN ~ 37 K. The magnetic structure is incommensurate below TN, with the incommensurability decreasing monotonically with decreasing temperature until a transition to a commensurate magnetic phase is observed at T ~ 10 K. Both the Gd and Fe moments undergo a spin reorientation transition at TSR ~ 9 K such that the moments are oriented along the crystallographic c axis at low temperatures. With magnetic field applied along the a axis, our measurements suggest that the field-induced polarization phase has a commensurate magnetic structure with Gd moments rotated ~45 degrees toward the basal plane, which is similar to the magnetic structure of the Gd subsystem observed in zero field between 9 and 10 K, and the Fe subsystem has a ferromagnetic component in the basal plane.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Dyes as guests in ordered systems: current understanding and future directions

The optical properties of dyes dissolved in liquid crystals have led to their proposed use in a diverse range of practical applications. Such guest–host systems are typically required to fulfil a range of criteria relating to their absorption properties, degree of alignment and stability, but concurrently satisfying these requirements has proven a barrier to their widespread use. In this article, many of the proposed applications and their requirements are discussed, and an outline of some of the most prevalent classes of dye proposed in the context of guest–host systems is given, along with a summary of recent reports of dyes that exhibit thermotropic mesophases. Theoretical approaches to describing the alignment within guest–host systems are outlined, and possible strategies for the future rational design of guest–host systems are discussed

The I_CARRE Methodology: An Organized Approach to Selecting Web Design Software for Nonprofits

Choosing Web content management software from the myriad of choices available can be a critical decision any organization. However, this decision becomes an even greater concern for nonprofit organizations with limited IT resources, technical skills, and financial resources. In this paper, a methodology is introduced that describes a step-by-step approach to selecting Web design software for organizations with extremely limited resources. The proposed I_CARRE methodology was developed using an action research approach and introduces several fundamental project management concepts, as well as some widely available tools. The objective of the I_CARRE methodology is to provide a non- technical, common sense approach that requires only a basic understanding of the Internet and familiarity with personal computing terminology in order to be applied successfully. Moreover, a case study of a nonprofit organization provides an in-depth look at how the methodology was used to provide organizational value

Determination of phototropism by UV-B radiation

UV-B phototropism in etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings has only been shown recently and needs further exploration. Here we elaborate on how to generate a customized setup with a unilateral UV-B light source, the required plant materials, different growth substrates, and a framework for data analysis

The association of statin use after cancer diagnosis with survival in pancreatic cancer patients: a SEER-medicare analysis.

BackgroundPancreatic cancer has poor prognosis and existing interventions provide a modest benefit. Statin has anti-cancer properties that might enhance survival in pancreatic cancer patients. We sought to determine whether statin treatment after cancer diagnosis is associated with longer survival in those with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).MethodsWe analyzed data on 7813 elderly patients with PDAC using the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) - Medicare claims files. Information on the type, intensity and duration of statin use after cancer diagnosis was extracted from Medicare Part D. We treated statin as a time-dependent variable in a Cox regression model to determine the association with overall survival adjusting for follow-up, age, sex, race, neighborhood income, stage, grade, tumor size, pancreatectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).ResultsOverall, statin use after cancer diagnosis was not significantly associated with survival when all PDAC patients were considered (HR = 0.94, 95%CI 0.89, 1.01). However, statin use after cancer diagnosis was associated with a 21% reduced hazard of death (Hazard ratio = 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67, 0.93) in those with grade I or II PDAC and to a similar extent in those who had undergone a pancreatectomy, in those with chronic pancreatitis and in those who had not been treated with statin prior to cancer diagnosis.ConclusionsWe found that statin treatment after cancer diagnosis is associated with enhanced survival in patients with low-grade, resectable PDAC