User Resource Research Articles

Mitigating server-side congestion in the Internet through pseudoserving

Server-side congestion arises when a large number of users wish to retrieve files from a server over a short period of time. Under such conditions, users are in a unique position to benefit enormously by sharing retrieved files. Pseudoserving, a new paradigm for Internet access, provides incentives for users to contribute to the speedy dissemination of server files through a contract set by a "superserver". Under this contract, the superserver grants a user a referral to where a copy of the requested file may be retrieved in exchange for the user's assurance to serve other users for a specified period of time. Simulations that consider only network congestion occurring near the server show that: (1) pseudoserving is effective because it self-scales to handle very high request rates; (2) pseudoserving is feasible because a user who participates as a pseudoserver benefits enormously in return for a relatively small contribution of the user's resources; (3) pseudoserving is robust under realistic user behavior because it can tolerate a large percentage of contract breaches; and (4) pseudoserving can exploit locality to reduce usage of network resources. Experiments performed on a local area network that account for the processing of additional layers of protocols and the finite processing and storage capacities of the server and the clients, corroborate the simulation results. They also demonstrate the benefits of exploiting network locality in reducing download times and network traffic while making referrals to a pseudoserver. Limitations of pseudoserving and potential solutions to them are also discussed.

Adding intelligent agents to existing EI frameworks

The global marketplace and the Internet have served as catalysts for enterprise integration (EI), both within a company and between a company and its suppliers and partners. EI software architectures, or frameworks, are often built on top of standard middleware and typically lack the ability to function in dynamic environments where flexibility, adaptability, and knowledge management are crucial. Furthermore, they do not scale well to wide-area enterprises that extend across organizational boundaries. These frameworks nevertheless offer a cost-effective basis for resource management, user coordination, knowledge exchange, and information extraction in a virtual enterprise. The paper considers how, by incorporating agents with their inherently distributed characteristics of autonomy, reasoning or intelligence, and goal-driven behavior, existing EI frameworks can be enhanced to support adaptive virtual enterprises.

Wireless broadband applications: the teleservice model and adaptive QoS provisioning

This article presents a teleservice model for wireless broadband applications based on an adaptive QoS paradigm. According to this, a multimedia broadband application is considered as a set of hierarchically ordered adaptable media streams, which accept varying degrees of network-level guarantees, depending on dynamic resource changes and user preferences. Some algorithms that match the proposed paradigm are designed for call and mobility management. Their performance is analyzed in a mobile multitier cellular system, including the satellite component.

Digital libraries: future potentials and challenges

Four broad area for future development in the digital library environment are identified and explored. The presentation and display of information is linked to interface design issues and the types of data and services that might be made available. The challenge of organizing resources and services into virtual collections, often based on vendor, product name, or levels of bibliographic access, is considered. Issues concerning the technical architecture of library systems and data are described, including multi‐tiered architecture, broadcast search capabilities, and support for a growing diversity of data formats. Rights management and access controls related to resource integrity and user security are discussed.

Determining the call admission region for real-time heterogeneous applications in wireless TDMA networks

The call admission problem for a wireless packet-switched network supporting homogeneous applications-such as a cellular voice network-is an old one and has been extensively investigated in the past. The article investigates the call admission region for a TDMA (wireless) system supporting heterogeneous real-time VBR applications with distinct QoS requirements and traffic characteristics. The QoS is defined in terms of a maximum tolerable packet delay and dropping probability; packets may be dropped due to delay violations or channel-induced errors. The call acceptance region is investigated under the assumption that each user's per-frame resource (slot) requests are communicated to the scheduler (resource allocation authority). The call acceptance region is shaped by the QoS that can be delivered by the uplink scheduling policy. Some of the mechanisms employed to inform the scheduler of the users' requests along with the scheduling policies are discussed. While these scheduling policies identify QoS points in the call admission region, they cannot reveal the entire region. An approach is outlined on how to precisely determine the call admission region (largest set of QoS points delivered under any scheduling policy) for a TDMA system. This approach is shown to lead to the precise description of the reduced call admission region in the presence of channel errors. In order to demonstrate the performance improvement provided by an error control scheme, a simple QoS-sensitive forward error control protocol operating over on erroneous channel is employed, leading to an enlargement of the calculated call admission region. Finally, it is shown that feasible scheduling policies exist which do deliver at least the minimum QoS requirement of the applications whose associated QoS vector falls within the determined call admission region.

Integrated coastal resources management and community participation in a small island setting

The concept of integrated coastal zone management must be rethought to adapt it to the geography and social conditions of small islands. Because of their size, all small islands are in the coastal zone. Defining the whole of the island and its coastal waters as the management area may weaken a program's effectiveness. An alternative may be to adapt special area management planning to the socio-spatial organization found on small islands. Social conditions on islands, where people live in relatively small cohesive communities, makes resource user participation in planning and management particularly germane. This paper outlines an argument for small islands to use participation as a central strategy of coastal management based on experience with natural resource management efforts on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia.

The significance of man-made structures for lake trout spawning in the Great Lakes: are they a viable alternative to natural reefs?

High lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) egg abundance reported at some man-made structures, including artificial reefs in Lakes Michigan and Ontario, indicates that construction of artificial reefs may be one means of enhancing reproduction for this species in the Great Lakes. A review of spawning at man-made and natural spawning areas indicated consistently higher abundance of eggs, fry, and young-of-the-year lake trout associated with man-made structures. Hence, artificial reefs could make a significant contribution to restoration of lake trout stocks in the Great Lakes. It was not clear, however, why some man-made structures were used by lake trout and some were not. It is recommended, therefore, that construction of artificial reefs be approached on an experimental basis and that reef construction be part of an overall strategy to increase availability of spawning habitat. Also included in this strategy is stocking lake trout closer to areas of natural spawning substrate and resolving potential resource user conflicts. Studies should also be conducted to evaluate how life stage at stocking (e.g., egg, fry, yearling) affects subsequent use of spawning habitat and to determine if genetic factors are involved.

Collaborative Research and Management – The Key to the Sustainable Management of Groundfish Resources in the Timor and Arafura Seas

The waters between Australia and Indonesia support major groundfish resources, including deepwater snappers (Pristipomoides) on the Sahul Banks in the Timor Sea and red snappers (Lutjanus) in the Arafura Sea; some of these resources are thought to be shared by Australia and Indonesia. Recent research indicates that deepwater and red snappers may become over-exploited if fishing effort is not adequately controlled within both Australian and Indonesian waters, leading to the collapse of fisheries in both sectors and a reduction in the income and livelihood of Australian and Indonesian resource user groups The key to the ecologically sustainable management of groundfish resources in the Timor and Arafura Seas, and the long-term economic viability of Australian and Indonesian fishing industries, is through collaborative research and management. Such collaboration should aim to identify sustainable resource management strategies which will enhance community benefits and provide new opportunities to fishing communities. The challenge facing scientists and managers is to develop strategies which meet national and international requirements, and the very different needs of Australian and Indonesian fishing industries.

Fiber grass from forest land

For more than a century in India, rural communities and government forest departments have struggled over the control of forest resources. State bureaucracies have prevailed in circles of law and political power in their attempt to dominate nearly one‐quarter of India's land area, but forest villages, because of their traditional rights, number, and proximity, have maintained their position as the principle resource user. This case study provides an example of the new types of co‐management systems beginning to evolve in India. Reviewing the experiences of the Haryana Forest Department and rope‐making communities, the authors identify points of conflict and compromise emerging as new management agreements are formulated. Points of tension are identified as communities attempt to compete with paper mills and local contractors for grass cutting leases. The authors suggest that the grass leases be part of an integrated watershed management agreement that provides incentives to local communities to enhance th...

The European Pond: who actually manages the fisheries?

In examining the division of responsibility for the formulation and implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy, three areas of weakness are identified: a lack of clear objectives, an illogical system of decision making and a fragmentation of management responsibilities. Although the formulation of strategic policy rests with Brussels, its implementation is largely the responsibility of the separate member states. It is at the level of implementation that a need is recognised for a remodelling of the relationships between the regulators and the resource user groups. Using the UK as an example, the paper examines the case for the development of devolved management systems incorporating the relevant fishermen's organisations.

Customary marine tenure and mariculture management in outlying communities of Pohnpie State, Federated States of Micronesia

The Marine Resources Division of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia is currently engaged in development activities that include the establishement of family scale mariculture projects for community members of several remote villages and outer islands. The goal of this undertaking is to supplement subsistence and income generation ventures for community members through wise use of the marine environment. These aims may be jeopardized unless a management plan is devised that incorporates the customary marine resource practices from each of these culturally diverse communities. The intent of this project is to devise a mariculture management plan that could help marine resource managers reduce or avoid marine resource user conflicts within each community that may result from the introduction of family mariculture projects. A ten week field investigation was conducted on three different study sites to obtain qualitative and quantitative data that would serve as a basis for the development of a mariculture management plan that integrates contemporary marine tenure practices with government management strategies. Research results disclose various user rights and practices that are consistent with implementation parameters for family mariculture projects and the reduction of user conflicts within each community.

Farming Systems Research in Remote Areas in Nepal: The Need for a New Approach to On-farm Research and Extension

SUMMARYOn-farm research in remote areas demands methods that keep down costs and reduce the need for subsequent research and extension inputs and yet that still produce useful and sustainable recommendations. An important part of the process is to identify existing resource user groups and use them, rather than individual farmers, as a starting point for on-farm research. This approach is discussed in the context of farming systems research in the eastern hills of Nepal.

Lake Ontario's Sport Fisheries: Socioeconomic Research Progress and Needs

The management process of an aquatic system such as Lake Ontario depends on a dynamic information base and occurs within an environment comprising ecological, social, cultural, political, and economic factors. It is critical that this information base include socioeconomic components pertaining to resource user values and behaviors as well as the traditional ecological components. This paper reviews socioeconomic information pertaining to the utilization and valuation of Lake Ontario's sport fisheries. It also examines the socioeconomic components of assessing the risks to humans posed by contaminants present in sport fish, communicating this information to fish consumers, and monitoring and understanding human responses to these communications. Several studies have examined the economic impacts of sport fishing on coastal communities of Lake Ontario. Few studies have examined the net economic value of sportfishing to anglers, or how contaminants have reduced such values. Similarly, few studies have examined how the public responds to information about contaminants in sport fish. Some research in these areas is currently underway.

A flexible assurance bonding system for improved environmental management

Current methods of regulating activities that are known or suspected to be environmentally danaging are not working well. They induce legal confrontation, obfuscation, and government intrusion into the inner workings of firms. They tend to suppress technical and social innovation aimed at long-term solutions. They do not mesh well with the market signals that firms use to make decisions. This paper discusses some of the underlying reasons for this problem, and outlines a flexible environmental assurance bonding system designed to incorporate environmental criteria and uncertainty into the market system, and to induce positive environmental technological innovation. In addition to direct charges for known environmental damages, an assurance bond equal to the current best estimate of the largest potential future environmental damages would be levied and kept in an interest-bearing escrow account. The bond (plus a portion of the interest) would be returned if and only if the firm could prove that the suspected damages had not occured or would not occur. If damages did occur, the bond would be used to rehabilitate or repair the environment, and to compensate injured parties. By requiring the users of environmental resources to post a bond adequate to cover potential future environmental damages (with the possibility for refunds), the burden of proof is shifted from the public to the resource user and a strong economic incentive is provided to research the true costs of environmentally innovative activities and to develop innovative, cost-effective pollution control technologies.

Natural Resource Accounting in a multi-objective context

Natural Resources Accounting has a long history, but the momentum for more detailed development and construction is relatively recent. This paper is largely in response to momentum in the EC sphere. The rationale for such accounts is based on the need to manage our resources and environment for more than just economic purposes and in response to the economic information; i.e., management in a multi-objective and multi-disciplinary context. The accounting structure outlined here is intended for inclusion in a larger system, IRENE, which aims to assist policy-making for renewable natural resources management. Three separate, but linked accounts are envisaged: Economic Accounts, Ecological Accounts, and Resource User Accounts. A general structure for the latter two accounts is presented with examples.

Integrating Forestry and Wildlife Management: The View of the Private Land Timber Resource User

The users of the private land timber resource include the landowner (who uses it for property income), the logger, and the mills dependent on local timber supply.The objectives of landowners vary considerably, as do their dependence on timber sales for income and their use of the property for personal recreation. Loggers tend to view forestry-wildlife integration unfavourably wherever this results in increased logging costs. The forestry interests of the local mills are similarly those of timber availability, wood procurement costs and freedom from disruption of supply. Key words: Forest management, private forest lands, integrated land management, wildlife management.

Elasticity rules for the expenditure effects of matching grants

Abstract The accepted result that matching grants will increase local tax effort only when demand is elastic is invalid when user charges are levied. Local tax effort increases over a certain range of inelastic demand. The accepted result does not apply either to local resource (tax plus user charges) effort.

The 1980s: Challenges and opportunities

The current energy crisis and the resulting national goal of energy independence call for rapid development of national energy resources. Regional energy resource and energy user location lead to a need for analysis and solution of these problems in a regional context. This creates unique challenges and opportunities for regional scientists during the decade of the eighties.

THEORETICAL-METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF CREATION OF INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL ENVIROMENT OF UKRAINE

In the paper on the bases of system-structural approach the theoretical and methodological problems of information educational space formation in Ukraine and the peculiarities of its influence on decomposition of education system are considered, the approaches of the studies of information and communication environment influence on the formation of the system of aims, the ways of activity and personal qualities of information resource user are determined.

Some Elements of an Evaluation of the Effects of Legal Factors on the Utilization of Fishery Resources

Present fishing patterns, as with virtually all human activity, are reflections of the evolutionary course of history. The management of fisheries resources is often carried on in a framework containing codified remnants of this past. This situation is amplified by the common property nature of the resource which dictates that no single resource user has exclusive rights to the resource. A legal structure has arisen which is generaly representative of a past endorsement of freedom of the seas, a more contemporary interest in conservation, and a recently heightened interest in the economic well-being of the U. S. fishing industry. This structure differs for each fishery. In some cases economic viability is permitted while in others required harvesting practices of another era represent extremes of inefficiency. Examples of fisheries such as halibut, salmon, anchovy and shrimp indicate the varying degrees to which truly economic alternative resource uses may be possible. Dollar values can be attributed to the losses associated with the enforced use of certain inefficient practices.