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The High Performance Building Façade Solutions–Phase II project was initiated through the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program in July 2010 to support industry’s development and deployment of both incremental and breakthrough façade technologies in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The objective of this three-year project was to develop, or support the development and deployment of, promising near-term and emerging zero net energy building façade technologies for solar control and daylighting, addressing two of the largest end uses in California commercial buildings: cooling and lighting. In partnership with industry (such as manufacturers), three classes of technologies were investigated: daylighting systems, angular-selective shading systems, and dynamic façade systems. Commercially available and emerging prototype technologies were developed and evaluated using laboratory tests. Simulations, full-scale outdoor tests in the Advanced Window Testbed, and demonstration projects quantified energy and peak electric demand reductions and occupant satisfaction, acceptance, and comfort associated with the resultant indoor environment. Several new technologies were developed using virtual prototyping tools. Integrated control systems were developed using model predictive controls. Simulation tools were developed to model operable complex fenestration systems such as shades and microprismatic films. A schematic design tool called COMFEN was developed to facilitate evaluation of these advanced technologies in the early design phase. All three classes of technologies resulted in significant reductions in perimeter zone energy use and peak electric demand, providing viable options that can support California’s long-term goal of achieving zero net energy use in the next decade.

The primary goal of this research is to devise a system that produces controllers for complex fenestration systems that perform nearlyas well as Model Predictive Control but at a level of cost and implementation complexity that rivals simple heuristic controls. Tothis end, a cloud-based automated controller production system has been set up for a motorized external Venetian blind device,with a simple web interface that can be used by non-experts. The computation cost per controller is in the range of a few dollars,and the control logic is simple enough to be implemented on small and cheap distributed controllers. The web interface allowsthe user to specify some details of their particular building and window configuration, including orientation, latitude, interiorgeometries, and lighting and HVAC system parameters. Upon submittal, a cloud-based system configures the necessary files andcommands, and then runs thousands of optimizations with them. Once the calculations are finished, the system produces a lookuptable and interpolation-based controller scripts that can be used on a simple and cheap distributed controller. This paper describesthe underlying models and optimization processes. It also describes the resulting control logics for two cases tested at LawrenceBerkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced Windows Testbed Facility: illuminance maximization subject to glare constraints; andlighting + HVAC energy minimization. The performance of the model-based controllers produced by the automated web-basedsystem are compared to a heuristic ‘block beam’ controller in physical experiments at the Testbed. The experimental results aresupplemented by simulation experiments with the same configuration as the Testbed. The results show the illuminance maximizingcontroller significantly outperforms the heuristic controller in terms of glare avoidance, and also outperforms it in terms of hoursof daylight autonomy. The energy minimizing controller also outperforms the heuristic controller. This paper also discusses howthe web-based system may be extended to consider other configurations, such as electrochromic windows and thermally massiveHVAC systems. Potential roles for this type of system within the building design and construction industry are discussed.

Basis prediction errors for live cattle in the five major Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting areas are analyzed to determine how shifts in the live cattle market fundamentals and contemporaneous market conditions, including price momentum, impact ability to hedge. Results reveal that thinness of the negotiated cash market, weight of cattle marketed, and contemporaneous factors statistically impact basis prediction errors. Impacts vary across region. Volatility in cost of gain and delivery costs have greater effects on basis prediction error than do market trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Five cases from Australian coastal zone science and management are outlined. [•] A diagnostic model to improve the linkages between science and decision-making is proposed. [•] Diagnosis relies on analysis of interactions and mediation between issues and stakes. [•] Diagnosis enables targeted intervention to improve how science articulates with issues and stakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water governance is an important, yet complex and contested field. A central challenge for researchers is to engage with multiple understandings and perspectives that can shape water governance, and to move towards more transdisciplinary approaches. These challenges are magnified for early-career researchers (ECRs), and while the need for transdisciplinary approaches and better support for ECRs is increasingly recognised, there remains a lack of understanding of how to achieve this within the wider research community. Thus, this paper investigates through an auto-ethnographic inquiry the practical experiences and challenges faced by a diverse group of ECRs engaging in water governance research. Reflecting on our own endeavours and relevant literature, we identify a range of path-finding experiences and challenges, and explore strategies employed by ECRs to navigate the 'uncharted waters' of evolving career pathways in water governance research. 'Communities of Practice' are identified as a promising opportunity to support ECRs by enhancing opportunities for reflection and learning. Overall, we argue that there is significant merit in enhancing the way in which water governance research is understood, and improving the means by which ECRs are supported to build capability and contribute in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stakeholder participation is widely recognised as an integral part of coastal management. Involving stakeholders allows for a more reflexive consideration of ecological science outputs within a wider socio-economic and cultural context. However stakeholder participation remains problematic especially when the involvement is short term and limited under the ‘project state’ where the new governance regime uses the ‘project’ as a means of finding solutions to distinct and delimited policy problems. To overcome issues associated with securing stakeholder participation in the project state we argue for the development of a ‘participatory logic’. Using the example of the Estuary Entrance Management Support System (EEMSS) in Victoria, Australia we explore how embracing participatory logic can assist in identifying and overcoming the short termism and other difficulties associated with the project state. We begin with an outline of the project state and its relationship with participatory stakeholder engagement. We then develop the concept of participatory logic and explain its essentially political nature. Following this we describe the EEMSS project and explore its diffusion and scaling up in terms of its participatory logic. We conclude that the concept of participatory logic provides for a richer understanding of the way in which contested knowledge can inform coastal management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the carbon isotope compositions of pedogenic calcite from paleosol formations spanning across the Triassic/Jurassic boundary to represent a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Effects of the eruptions of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province; Factors controlling carbon isotopic composition of soil carbonate; Stratigraphic units sampled; Calculation findings of atmospheric paleo-carbon dioxide.