Utilizing Performance Records in Commercial Beef Herds.

4 p

Utilizing Performance Records in Commercial Beef Herds.

4 p

Understanding and Using Sire Summaries.

4 p

Understanding and Using Sire Summaries.

4 p

Exploring the business case for more adaptable buildings: lessons from case studies

This paper explores the business case for designing more adaptable buildings, an issue that has, for the most part, been overlooked in the literature. It reviews some of the existing literature on adaptability and discusses the drivers for and barriers to designing buildings that are more adaptable. In doing so, it draws upon lessons from the developing market for ‘greener’ or more sustainable buildings. The costs and benefits of designing more adaptable buildings are explored through a workshop with industry stakeholders and illustrated with evidence from case studies. The findings of this research highlight the circumstances that would need to change, in terms of industry mindsets and market conditions, in order for adaptable buildings to become more widespread

What is meant by adaptability in buildings?

Purpose Despite being a common term in the literature, there is little agreement about what the word ‘adaptability’ means in the context of the built environment and very little evidence regarding practitioners’ understanding of adaptability. This paper therefore examines what practitioners in the building industry mean when they talk about ‘adaptability’. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative approach, involving 82 unstructured face-to-face interviews with practitioners from a range of professional disciplines in the construction industry, including architects, engineers, facilities managers, property agents and planners. The interview transcripts were coded inductively in order to identify themes in the qualitative data. Findings The interview data revealed a wide range of perspectives on adaptability, particularly regarding terminology, the meanings practitioners associate with adaptability and the way in which these meanings are communicated to others in the industry. The applied meaning of adaptability varied depending on context. Practical implications Conflicting language, and different interpretations of adaptability, is a potential barrier to the development of adaptable buildings. A clearer articulation of the meaning of adaptability (particularly by clients) during briefing and design could give rise to a more appropriate level of adaptability in the built environment. Originality/value This study has addressed a gap in the existing literature, by foregrounding the voices of industry practitioners and exploring their (sometimes very different) interpretations of adaptability in buildings

Ancient Mitogenomes Shed Light on the Evolutionary History and Biogeography of Sloths

International audienc

The State of Interbreed EPDs

During the past ten years, the use of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) by both seedstock producers and commercial cattlemen has increased markedly. EPDs have proven to be very valuable for discerning within breed sire differences, but are still of no value for comparing sires between breeds. Even though EPDs were never intended for across breed comparisons, many commercial cattlemen find this limitation to be very frustrating. Represented in Table 1 are the birth year EPD averages for all animals born in 1990 for six different breeds. One quick glance reveals why EPDs cannot be compared across breeds. Anyone with knowledge of breed differences will quickly recognize that Angus are not going to average 2.7 (3.1 - .4) pounds more than Simmental at birth. Furthermore, it would be incorrect to assume that Herefords would average nearly 30 pounds more at one year of age and produce significantly more milk (7.0 versus .6) than Simmental. These breed average figures help illustrate the confusion that can develop when bull buyers attempt to compare bulls of different breeds