Using Community Colleges to Re-Connect Disconnected Youth

Argues that community colleges should be a major institution helping youth re-connect to education. Explores a variety of measures and reforms that community colleges would need to take to develop comprehensive and effective education programs

The First Round of Legislative Reforms in the Post-Serrano World

An overview of recent legislation in the field of educational finance reform which describes a number of similarities among the bills enacted after the Serrano decision but Before the first major reversals of some of the earlier decisions. Weaknesses common to these efforts are detailed and indications of future trends are suggested. An Appendix enumerates 1972-1973 school finance reforms in eleven different states

Fixture for multiple-FCC chemical stripping and plating

For chemical stripping, lead tape applied near ends to be stripped protects insulation. Taped ends are submerged half way in stripping solution. For electroplating, both ends of FCC are stripped - top ends for electric contact, others for submersion in electroplating solution

CONSTRAINTS TO INCREASING LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Livestock Production/Industries,

Economic Institutions and Human Well-Being: A Cross-National Analysis

Economic institutions are widely thought to be important in enhancing human well-being. Other scholars emphasize geography in determining economic deprivation and development. This paper examines both types of factors and finds that property rights and economic freedom substantially reduce poverty and enhance economic development.Development; Economic Institution; Institutions; Well Being

THE USE OF GENETICS PRINCIPLES IN RESEARCH EVALUATION: AN EXAMPLE WITH SOYBEANS

This paper explores the potential use of quantitative genetics principles in evaluating economic returns to plant breeding research. Basic factors affecting genetic progress are described along with possibilities for quantifying them in relation to research expenditures. An example with soybeans illustrates how this information can be incorporated into ex ante research evaluation.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

EVALUATING PRIVATELY FUNDED PUBLIC RESEARCH: AN EXAMPLE WITH POULTRY AND EGGS

A procedure is described for evaluating poultry and egg research projects. A peer review questionnaire and benefit-cost analysis are utilized incorporating elasticities from an econometric model for poultry and eggs. Production, cost, and price changes are used to calculate changes in producer surplus and net economic surplus for a set of privately funded publicly conducted research projects.Public Economics,

Cable insulation cut-through tester

Device accurately measures cut-through load within specified time or time when cut-through occurs at specific load. Tests are performed at ambient conditions or in an environmental chamber

Pesticide Use and IPM Adoption: Does IPM Reduce Pesticide Use in the United States?

In 2001, the United States General Accounting Office issued a report entitled “Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management.” This report documents that overall agricultural pesticide usage increased from 1992 to 2000 while the use of the most toxic levels of pesticides have decreased. The USDA suggests that these changes in pesticide use could have been caused by integrated pest management (IPM) adoption. However, the GAO maintains that there is not enough evidence to support this claim. This paper contributes to this debate by estimating the relationship between pesticide use and IPM practices adopted for number of commodities across the nation from 1996 to 2005. The paper exploits an aggregated data set that combines surveys from different crops and different years, but it also examines specific surveys conducted on cotton and corn crops to better control for other factors that could affect pesticide use. The paper applies multiple definitions of IPM and uses different spatial variables to control for environmental effects that affect pesticide use. Although some specific strategies such as GM adoption decreased the amount of active ingredients sprayed on cotton and corn, the results suggest that on average the adoption of IPM strategies lead to slightly increased pesticide spending and pounds of active ingredient sprayed per acre. This result is confirmed in both the analysis on the aggregated data as well as the analysis of the cotton and corn data. The results also suggest that fixed environmental factors explain a significant amount of chemical spending and pesticide use in the United States. The significance of these factors demonstrates the importance of research and programs that aid farmers in making intelligent pesticide use decisions at the local level.Pesticide Use, Integrated Pest Management, Corn Production, Cotton Production, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy,