A universal control system for small telescopes

An open loop stepper motor controller has been designed specifically for the control of small telescopes. The stepper motor driver is controlled by an IBM-type PC with TURBO PASCAL being used to develop the control software. The software has been set up to be driven either by a mouse or the keyboard. A configuration file contains information specific to the geographical location of the telescope and the mechanical details of the telescope drive such as the type of stepper motors used and the gearing ratios on the two axes. This feature allows the system to be easily attached to a variety of telescopes

A Micro-econometric Analysis of Grape Supply Contracts in Australia

This paper examines wine grape supply contracts used in the main grape growing regions of Australia. An empirical analysis provides insight into specific aspects of contract design and implementation. Statistical analyses of sample data reveal differences between regions in contract specifications. Lower quality grape growing regions place a greater reliance on grape quality assessment to determine bonus/penalty payments compared to higher quality regions. Contracts in higher quality regions place greater emphasis on explicit winery involvement and direction in vineyard management. Results indicate that longer duration contracts are more inclusive in terms of the number of clauses included. Evidence of risk shifting (i.e., winery to grower) for high quality grapes is reported, where the price received by growers is determined by the bottle price of the wine produced