Building flexible user interfaces for solving PDEs

FEniCS is a collection of software tools for the automated solution of differential equations by finite element methods. In this note, we describe how FEniCS can be used to solve a simple nonlinear model problem with varying levels of automation. At one extreme, FEniCS provides tools for the fully automated and adaptive solution of nonlinear partial differential equations. At the other extreme, FEniCS provides a range of tools that allow the computational scientist to experiment with novel solution algorithms. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Illegal fishing of inland water bodies of Nigeria: Kainji experience

It is a common knowledge that illegal fishing which includes use of wrong gears, explosives, excessive exploitation of choice stocks, enhancement and stocking of water body and pollution has devastating effects on the critical biomass of fish biodiversity and livelihood activities associated with fishing. Efforts worldwide to arrest these menace are significant because it has been found that illegal fishing has made fishing non sustainable, resulted in poor fishermen catches, and exacerbated the use of illegal gears in an effort to a must catch. Conflict between fisher folk and policies has continued to generate different strategies in the control of illegal fishing. Some of these strategies at regional and National levels include creation and implementation of fisheries laws, fishing edicts, code of conduct for responsible fisheries, policing of inland water bodies, capacity building and capability through training of fishermen, creating necessary awareness, arrest and punishment of offenders. There are also other initiative on conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems which have interrelation with illegal fishing. This paper examines efforts in promoting and boosting the fisheries of Lake Kainji, through creating necessary awareness, campaign visits, radio programmes, gear control, reward systems, integration and diversification of livelihood activities, community based management and policing. It further analyses what is working, problems, and prospect of fisheries laws, the need to integrate factors of political policies, other global initiative on water management for people and nature. Recommendations on strategies including protection of fishing grounds, establishment of catch data base, integration of other intervention as alternative source of income to enhance livelihood, reduce fishing pressure, and capacity building of fisher folks, development of rules and regulations that is community based are highlighted.

Thermal building simulation using the UKCP09 probabilistic climate projections

This article investigates how to use UK probabilistic climate-change projections (UKCP09) in rigorous building energy analysis. Two office buildings (deep plan and shallow plan) are used as case studies to demonstrate the application of UKCP09. Three different methods for reducing the computational demands are explored: statistical reduction (Finkelstein-Schafer [F-S] statistics), simplification using degree-day theory and the use of metamodels. The first method, which is based on an established technique, can be used as reference because it provides the most accurate information. However, it is necessary to automatically choose weather files based on F-S statistic by using computer programming language because thousands of weather files created from UKCP09 weather generator need to be processed. A combination of the second (degree-day theory) and third method (metamodels) requires only a relatively small number of simulation runs, but still provides valuable information to further implement the uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. The article also demonstrates how grid computing can be used to speed up the calculation for many independent EnergyPlus models by harnessing the processing power of idle desktop computers. © 2011 International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA).

The role of adaptive thermal comfort in the prediction of the thermal performance of a modern mixed-mode office building in the UK under climate change

Climate change is becoming a serious issue for the construction industry, since the time scales at which climate change takes place can be expected to show a true impact on the thermal performance of buildings and HVAC systems. In predicting this future building performance by means of building simulation, the underlying assumptions regarding thermal comfort conditions and the related heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) control set points become important. This article studies the thermal performance of a reference office building with mixedmode ventilation in the UK, using static and adaptive thermal approaches, for a series of time horizons (2020, 2050 and 2080). Results demonstrate the importance of the implementation of adaptive thermal comfort models, and underpin the case for its use in climate change impact studies. Adaptive thermal comfort can also be used by building designers to make buildings more resilient towards change. © 2010 International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA).

Building the single market with information technology - lessons from a transnational IT implementation

The subject company operates in a vigorously growing sector of the packaging market, with plants in most European countries. But could this disparate business function as a single company in a single (European) market? This article sets out some lessons learned from a pilot transnational implementation of a strategic management information system, designed to counter entrenched national business thinking in one European company and its subsidiaries.