Microcomputer based fish farm production planning: The development of a microcomputerised data recording and production decision support system for individual fish farmers and its implementation on a fresh water trout hatchery

In order to develop a system that could provide fish farmers with information to monitor stock performance and plan for a timely production, a computerised recording system was designed and tested on a trout hatchery in Scotland. It facilitated routine data capture on site with a small hand-held computer, programmed in BASIC language, which subsequently downloaded the data to a central desk-top microcomputer for further processing. Both direct and long-distance transmission via the telephone network using modems were possible. The LOTUS 1-2-3 general purpose software package, running on the microcomputer, was customised using 'macro' commands to accept the transmitted data and create files for storage on 'floppy' or 'hard' magnetic disks. Further information could be calculated and graphs and summary reports for stock control could be generated at will. Other customised LOTUS worksheets were developed to allow identification and access of specific historical data in order to calibrate regression equations and provide growth predictions for particular fish types. This information combined with cost and pricing details was further utilised by a linear programming package. Guidelines on optimum policies were formulated and sensitivity analyses could be performed. This production information system was implemented on the IBM-PC and the OLIVETTI M24 desk-top microcomputers and as field devices the SHARP PC 1500A and the HUSKY HUNTER were used. Since existing technology and 'off-the-shelf' software were utilised, the developed information system can be easily adjusted to suit the individual needs of different fish farms. However, the most important requirement for successful implementation would be the commitment and enthusiasm of the fish farm manager

Experimental comparison of impairment-aware RWA algorithms in a GMPLS-controlled dynamic optical network

The European research project DICONET proposed and implemented a multi-plane impairment-aware solution for flexible, robust and cost-effective core optical networks. The vision of DICONET was realized via a set of cross-layer optimization algorithms designed to serve the network during planning and operation. The cross-layer modules were incorporated in a common software platform forming a planning and operation tool that takes into account physical-layer impairments in the decision making. The overall solution relies on a GMPLS-based control plane that was extended to disseminate the physical layer information required by the cross-layer modules. One of the key activities in DICONET concerns the routing and wavelength assignment of traffic demands that arrive dynamically during the network operation. Identifying the important role of dynamic lightpath provisioning, in this work we focused on the performance of routing algorithms in dynamic optical networks. We tested the suitability and performance of two different online IA-RWA algorithms in a 14-node experimental test-bed that employed centralized control-plane architecture under the same network and traffic conditions. The parameters used to evaluate the two routing engines included the lightpath setup time and the blocking ratio in a traffic scenario where connections arrive and depart from the network dynamically. Results for different traffic loads showed that optimum impairment-aware decisions are made at the expense of higher lightpath setup times.Postprint (published version

Corruption, Fertility, and Human Capital

We build an overlapping generations model in which reproductive households face a child quantity/child quality trade-off and bureaucrats are delegated with the task of delivering public services that support the accumulation of human capital. By integrating the theoretical analyses of endogenous growth, corruption and fertility choices, we offer a novel mechanism on the driving forces behind demographic transition. In particular, we attribute it to the endogenous change in the incidence of bureaucratic corruption that occurs at different stages of an economy‟s transition towards higher economic development

Corruption, fertility, and human capital

We build an overlapping generations model in which reproductive households face a child quantity–child quality trade-off and bureaucrats are delegated with the task of delivering public services that support the accumulation of human capital. By integrating the theoretical analyses of endogenous growth, corruption and fertility choices, we show that the negative relation between fertility and economic development may also be affected by differences in the magnitude of bureaucratic corruption