Tax compliance behaviour in Australian self-managed superannuation funds

The rapid growth of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) in Australia over the past two decades has been mirrored by a host of legislative and taxation rulings regulating the sector. The need for trustees to remain compliant with the relevant regulations is of paramount importance given the severity of the penalties they face for contraventions. We review the main rules governing SMSF compliance along with several notable legal cases of non-compliance. We then provide a comprehensive quantitative analysis of compliance outcomes in 321 SMSFs from across Australia. This research paper focusses only on SMSF trustee behaviour in respect of funds where the auditor has reported a breach. It does not refer to SMSF funds that are technically non-compliant as that term is defined in s 42A of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) (SIS Act). Therefore, in terms of this paper, whenever a SMSF is referred to as non-complying regard is only had to a SMSF where an auditor has reported a breach of any of the regulatory rules. The results of our research suggest that trustee literacy is positively associated with fund compliance, whereas trustee overconfidence cannot be linked with compliance outcomes for the sample. Moreover, compliant funds also appear more likely to allocate a greater share of their superannuation portfolios to conservative asset classes (cash and domestic equities), typically linked with under-diversification in SMSFs. Our findings therefore suggest that the financial risks borne by under-diversified SMSFs may at least in part be offset by a lower compliance burden for these funds.George Mihaylov, John Tretola, Alfred Yawson and Ralf Zurbrueg

Assessment of the amphora spectrum in a rural Late La Tène settlement at Reinach-Nord, Basel region, Switzerland

The relatively high quantity of amphorae among the ceramic material discovered in Late La Tène structures at Reinach-Nord appears quite unusual at a rural settlement of this period in NE Switzerland and warranted further investigation. How does the amphora spectrum compare to the one of earlier or later sites in the region? On earlier settlements in the area between Lyon, the Upper Rhine Valley and NE Switzerland, we find Italic wine amphorae from mainly the same few provenances in Etruria (Albinia, Cosa), Northern Campania (Falerne/Mondragone) and Pompeii. On later sites in the same region (especially the Roman colonial towns of Lyon, Augst and Avenches), wine is only one of many commodities imported in amphorae and those of Italic provenance become rare. Macroscopic classification of the amphora fabrics, petrographic and chemical analyses by XRF-WDS of 35 samples representative of fabric groups and the comparison with a large database (> 500 analyses from kiln sites, > 500 analyses from consumer sites) reveal basically the typical spectrum known for the region with slight differences to earlier as well as to later sites. These are, in comparison to earlier sites: - a smaller proportion originating from important production sites in Etruria and Northern Campania, no representation of the Pompeii region; - some ascertained imports from Southern Latium; - presence of a non-Italic fabric indicative of Spanish origin (Tarraconnensis). In contrast to later sites, Reinach still shows almost exclusively wine amphorae mainly of Italic origin and a smaller number of different provenances, comparable to the diversity met on the earlier sites (10–15 groups)

Partially distributed coordination with Reo and constraint automata

Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog

Review: Harmonised in vitro digestion and the Ussing chamber for investigating the effects of polyphenols on intestinal physiology in monogastrics and ruminants

Because of the relevant effects of plant-derived polyphenols (PPs) on monogastrics and ruminants’ nutrition, emissions and performance, an increasing number of in vivo and in vitro studies are being performed to better understand the mechanisms of action of polyphenols at both the ruminal and intestinal levels. The biological properties of these phenolic compounds strongly depend on their degradation, absorption and metabolism. The harmonised in vitro digestion method (INFOGEST) is one of the most reliable in vitro methods used to assess the bioaccessibility and or antioxidant activity of PP contained in different matrixes, as well as the interactions of PP and their degradation products with other feed ingredients. The effects of PP released from their matrix after in vitro digestion on different intestinal physiological parameters, such as epithelium integrity, can be further evaluated by the use of ex vivo models such as the Ussing chamber. This review aims to describe the combination of the INFOGEST method, coupled with the Ussing chamber as a valuable model for the digestion and subsequent effects and absorption of phenolic compounds in monogastrics and potentially in ruminants. The advances, challenges and limits of this approach are also discussed

Ex-food in animal nutrition: potential and challenges

The use of alternative feed ingredients in farm animal diets is interesting from several perspectives. Ex-foods, also known as Former Food Products (FFPs), are one way of converting losses from the food industry into ingredients for the animal feed industry, thereby keeping nutrients in the food chain. Based on nutritional data reported for humans, these materials are extremely rich in carbohydrates, free sugars and, depending on their origin, also in fats. In addition, FFPs are often characterized by a high degree of processing including technological (milling, etc.) and heat treatments (cooking, extrusion, etc.) which affect not only the availability of nutrients and the kinetics of digestion but also impacts on GIT health and the animal response. In order to use these materials in animal feeding and nutrition, a comprehensive evaluation is required in terms of composition, digestibility, functionality and also efficiency