How market standards affect building design: the case of low energy design in commercial offices

This paper develops existing work on building design through a focus on one important yet understudied form of regulation: market standards. Market standards are agreed upon definitions of ‘necessary’ provision in buildings and are fundamental in ‘formatting’ markets and determining the value of a building in the market. The paper presents a case study of the design of ten commercial offices in London, UK, the effects of market standards on the designs and on the potential for the development of lower energy buildings. Theoretically, the paper integrates literatures on standards, institutions and markets to argue that market standards do important ‘work’ in design processes that requires closer scrutiny. In particular, we show that market standards: are an important form of normative and cultural regulation in the field of commercial office design; format and act as calculative devices in property markets; and result in forms of knowledge diminution that break the relationship between building design and occupiers’ practices. Together, these effects result in particular designs being legitimised and valued, and lower energy designs being delegitimised, devalued and pushed to the periphery of the attention of commercial office designers

Evaluation of the Workplace Environment in the UK, and the Impact on Users’ Levels of Stimulation

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a number of recently completed workplaces in the UK. The first aim is to assess the impact of various aspects of the workplace environment on users’ levels of stimulation. The body of previous research undertaken into the workplace environment, identified the aspects to be investigated. Samples of employees from the sixteen businesses were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the workplaces. The results were entered into a regression analysis, and the most significant predictors of perceived stimulation identified. The data also revealed a dramatic reduction in staff arousal levels from mornings to afternoons. Thus, there is a second aim to determine whether changes to significant aspects of the workplace environment during the day can counteract the reduction in users’ stimulation. Two further workplaces were studied to enable changes to be made over a 12-week period. A sample of employees completed questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews revealed the reasons behind the results. It was found that provision of artwork, personal control of temperature and ventilation and regular breaks were the most significant contributions to increasing stimulation after lunch; while user choice of layout, and design and décor of workspaces and break areas, were the most significant aspects at design stage

Complexity and Productive Structure in Latin America: A Network Analysis of Trade Patterns

While plenty of existing literature focuses on Latin America’s trade relations with key partners, i.e. the US and China, and on its insertion into global value chains, intra-regional trade networks remain understudied. In this paper, we contribute to the understanding of the latter by looking at trade patterns in the region, focusing on how balanced and unbalanced trade occurs among Latin American countries and selected trade partners. We first develop an Index of Modern Balanced Trade (IMBT) that identifies balanced trade relations based on the share of complex goods that is exported and imported among two countries using data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (Hausmann & Hidalgo, 2014). Based on the IMBT, we then build two types of networks (Balanced and Unbalanced Trade Networks) in three different years that represent specific moments in Latin American economic history. We find that, as expected, most Latin American countries’ relations with partners outside the region remain largely unbalanced. However, our results also show that the Balanced Trade Network within the region has steadily expanded

Effects Of Graded Levels Of Ethanolic Piliostigma thonningii Bark Extract On Performance Of Broiler Chicken

Twenty day old broiler chicks were used to investigate the effects of graded levels of ethanolic Piliostigma thonningii bark extract in diet on feed conversion efficiency and performance. They were divided into four equal groups, maintained on starter feed for 6 weeks and on finisher for another 4 weeks. As from their second week of age those in groups A, B and C were fed diets containing 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0mg of the extract per kg feed respectively. Values of the extract were doubled from 7th to 10th week of slaughter age. Control group D received normal diet. Water was provided ad – libitum. Daily feed and water intake, weekly live weight gain, live weight relative to organ weights at slaughter were determined. Faeces were sampled on 4th and 8th weeks for helminth eggs and coccidial cysts. Animal groups fed diets containing plant extract showed short-lived mild neurological symptoms. All groups responded positively to treatment against respiratory distress. Inclusion of plant extract in diets relatively promoted feed conversion efficiency and broiler growth particularly at its threshold level of 1.0 mg/kg feed. Optimum effect of the extract occurred by the 5th week. Feed intake correlated positively with water intake (corr. Coeff. = 0.6-0.8). Traces of eggs and cysts seen in the treatment groups (A,B,&C) differed significantly with those of the control group (.D.)It is concluded that the extract may be included in broiler diet at 1.0mg/kg feed. KEY WORDS: P. thonningii, feed conversion efficiency, anthelmintic. Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol.11(2) 2005: 201-20

Studies of management effects on fertility of purebred and crossbred exotic gilts in two breeding farms at Nsukka, Nigeria

Sixty healthy gilts comprising 15 Landrace (LR), Large White (LW) and LW x Hampshire (HS) breeds respectively, were selected from Federal Government (FG) breeding center at Okpuje near Nsukka and University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) farms. They were bred through 4 years (1993 to 1996) during which management effects on fertility were assessed. Gilts were mated on obsenration of third cyclic oestrus and at subsequent postweaning oestrus. Fertility was assessed from vital reproductive traits due to dams and offsprings. All gilts had successful first and second parity breeding. Thereafter there were increasing cases of abortion and anoestrus particularly among purebred groups in FG farms. Generally, 8 (53.3%), 6 (40.0%), 10 (66.7%) and 13 (86.7%) out of 15 dams in respective groups could attain fifth parity within four years. Both groups exhibited long breeding intervals (ranging from 192-268 days). Purebred LW and LR offspring had slightly lower mean litter size of 8.5 ± 1.8 and 8.8 ± 1.5 compared with 9.5 ± 0.9 and 9.7 ± 1.4 (P<0.05) for LW x LR and LW x HS crossbred counterparts respectively. Birth end weaning weights and daily weight gain were similarly lower for purebred than crossbred offsprings. Attendant mortality rates of 13.1 % and 15.7% for the former were significantly higher than 9.8% and 10.1 % (<0.05) obtained for the latter offsprings respectively. The FG farm was more understocked, underutilized and undermanaged than the UNN farm probably because of inconsistencies arising from administrative bureaucracy. Consequently constraints are identified for improvement through efficient resources inputs, staff incentives and application of modem strategic management techniques re-commended for tropical environment. Further research into stocking Hamphsire crossbred pigs in the tropics is suggested, in view of its favourable performance.Keywords: Exotic pigs, management, fertility, production, tropics