Has the "Farm Problem" Disappeared? A Comparison of Household and Self-Employment Income Levels of the Farm and Nonfarm Self-Employed

This study tests the impact of household and demographic factors on the economic well-being of the farm and nonfarm self-employed using data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Parametric and nonparametric techniques are used to test for statistical differences in self-employment and household income levels. Further, household and demographic factors are tested for their effect on self-employment income using a censored tobit regression model. The farm self-employed report significantly higher levels of self-employment income. Results reveal that several household and demographic factors significantly impact self-employment income levels for the farm and nonfarm self-employed, with key differences in impacts.self-employment, farm households, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Does Experience Determine Performance? A Meta-Analysis on the Experience-Performance Relationship

The impact of experience on entrepreneurial performance has been widely tested. Although experience is expected to positively impact performance, results are varied. This research synthesizes the current literature by determining systematic sources of variation through both exploratory and ordered probit analyses. Results reveal that start date for data collection and form of experience tested pose a major impact on the probability of obtaining a positive estimate for the experience-performance relationship. This research further emphasizes the need for tightened standards across the experience-performance literature in order to equip both academics and practitioners with better information.Entrepreneurship, Experience, Performance, Meta-Analysis, Agribusiness, Labor and Human Capital,

Analysis of the glass and glass-working waste

An assemblage of glass fragments from the Tarbat monastery excavations were analysed by SEM-EDXA. Of the blue glasses, two are modern. The third is a natron-type glass of Roman type which is likely to represent re-use of early material by early medieval craftsmen. The remaining three glasses (all opaque yellow) are unambiguously consistent with early-medieval glass technology. However, it was not possible to establish whether opaque yellow glass was being made at Tarbat, or simply being worked there

Glass analysis

This book explores the economic evidence for the settlement at Bornais on South Uist. It reports in detail on the large assemblages of material found during the excavations at mounds 2 and 2A. There is important evidence for craft activity, such as bone and antler working and this includes the only comb making workshop from a rural settlement in Britain. A large proportion of the copper alloy, bone and antler assemblages comprise pieces of personal adornment and provide important information on the dress and thereby social relations within the settlement occupation. There is a large assemblage of iron tools and fittings, which provides important information on the activities taking place at the settlement. The information derived from the artefact assemblages is complemented by that provided by the ecofactual material. Large amounts of animal, fish and bird bones plus carbonised plant remains provide detailed information on agricultural practices, and the processing, preparation and consumption of foodstuffs. It is clear that the Norse inhabitants of the settlement had access to a much richer variety of resources than had been exploited before the Viking colonisation of the region. The settlement also had a significantly wider range of connections; material culture indicates contacts to the south with the Irish Sea ports and Bristol, and to the north with Shetland and the Viking homelands of Norway. The evidence produced by these excavations is exceptional and provides an unparalleled opportunity to explore medieval life in the Scandinavian kingdoms of Western Britain

Enhancing learning experience by collaborative industrial projects

This paper presents how collaborative industrial project are embedded into engineering curriculum at two departments: School of Science and the School of Engineering, at RMIT University, Australia. We introduce general structure of the industrial projects as Work Integrated Learning (WIL) modules, as well as provide a number of examples of recently completed projects. Industrial summer projects, which were running in the years 2015/16 in collaboration with ANZ, ABB, Alfred Hospital, etc., were pipelined with final year projects from the School of Engineering as well as with the Software Engineering Projects (Bachelor and Master level) from the School of Science. The goal of these projects was to enable continuity of activities as per industry requirements and enhance learning experience, as well as, employability of the students. All the projects were successfully completed, also receiving positive feedback from industry partners. Some of the projects led to student's employment within the companies that have sponsored the projects. With this approach, Future Designers Grant from the Department of State Development, Business and Innovation, Victoria, was efficiently implemented and a new product developed. After receiving Bosch Venture Forum Award in Germany, in June 2015 industry collaboration has extended to new partner, School of Science and activities continued over the summer. New design is implanted as well as large number of improvements

Design derivation of an open, java-based reengineering platform

Essential reengineering platform functionality can be made more accessible, and even extended, using Java as a basis for platform development, as follows. The process of software reengineering tool development should be able to enjoy the benefits conferred by «open» enabling technologies. Reengineering tool development and use involves distinctive processes and thus has distinctive requirements of enabling technologies. The earlier dominant «Software Refinery» proprietary reengineering tool development platform is both lacking with respect to required reengineering characteristics and moreover has limited accessibility. However, using Java as basis, the functionality of the proprietary platform can be substantially recreated to achieve open technology goals of adaptability, portability, accessibility and eventually heterogeneity also

Anti-angiogenic drugs: direct anti-cancer agents with mitochondrial mechanisms of action

Components of the mitochondrial electron transport chain have recently gained much interest as potential therapeutic targets. Since mitochondria are essential for the supply of energy that is required for both angiogenic and tumourigenic activity, targeting the mitochondria represents a promising potential therapeutic approach for treating cancer. Here we investigate the established anti-angiogenesis drugs combretastatin A4, thalidomide, OGT 2115 and tranilast that we hypothesise are able to exert a direct anti-cancer effect in the absence of vasculature by targeting the mitochondria. Drug cytotoxicity was measured using the MTT assay. Mitochondrial function was measured in intact isolated mitochondria using polarography, fluorimetry and enzymatic assays to measure mitochondrial oxygen consumption, membrane potential and complex I–IV activities respectively. Combretastatin A4, OGT 2115 and tranilast were both shown to decrease mitochondrial oxygen consumption. OGT 2115 and tranilast decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced complex I activity while combretastatin A4 and thalidomide did not. OGT 2115 inhibited mitochondrial complex II–III activity while combretastatin A4, thalidomide and tranilast did not. Combretastatin A4, thalidomide and OGT 2115 induced bi-phasic concentration-dependent increases and decreases in mitochondrial complex IV activity while tranilast had no evident effect. These data demonstrate that combretastatin A4, thalidomide, OGT 2115 and tranilast are all mitochondrial modulators. OGT 2115 and tranilast are both mitochondrial inhibitors capable of eliciting concentration-dependent reductions in cell viability by decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential and oxygen consumption

Why functional programming really matters

The significance of functional programming is revealed as that the feasible approach to language extensibility which it enables is further applicable to programming in general and beyond. The essence of functional programming is its enablement of programmer-defined function-valued functions. The feasibility of language extension by normal programmers depends upon the exclusion of interpretation in favour of direct definition, and higher-order functional programming is the key to enabling definitional rather than interpretational extensions. Functional programming thus offers the opportunity for the exclusion of the interpretation that otherwise pervades programming in general, and may be applicable beyond to analog computing and systems in general. Nevertheless, specific technical challenges need to be met before "totally functional programming" can realise its promises

Communication Biophysics

Contains reports on five research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant GP-2495)National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-04)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496