Real Estate Home Pricing: The Role of Hedonic model variables and Community Amenities

Although the residential real estate market has stabilized in the five -- seven years following the financial crisis of 2008 the market remains generally depressed with price growth stagnant. In turn forecasting an initial asking price using traditional hedonic pricing models is problematic: buyers have lost confidence in the market’s response. Additionally, community amenities may be viewed by buyers as a potential tax liability given reduced availability of federal and state funding for local services. As originally suggested variables such as the square footage of a property can be used to explain changes in the selling prices of homes in these markets. The findings for question two were not anticipated. It would appear that high levels of community services are attractive to home buyers in this county. If we consider the three towns, there may be variables that create attractiveness other than services and square footage. These differences may be masking another variable that has a higher explanatory value in relation to the variance observed in selling prices of homes in these communities

Classroom Engagement: Encouraging Attention vs Punishing Distraction

Given the rise in ownership and use of personal communication devices-Smartphones-by undergraduate students while attending classes, this study examines undergraduate students’ attitudes and perceptions regarding their rights to use such devices and their knowledge regarding the negative effect such usage has on their ability to synthesize new subject material. Given prior research into the negative aspects of digital devices in the classroom, this study examines the effect, if any, of using positive reinforcement versus restrictive bans to encourage believed appropriate learning behavior

My Home's Market Value: An Active Market Pricing Model

The current US residential real estate market is recovering although price growth remains stagnant. The non-linear pricing model examined represents a first investigation in the area of a single variable, polynomial correlation model. Using data from Easton, Connecticut demonstrated that when sellers set initial prices outside of a computed 95% confidence interval for similar properties no offers are forthcoming prior to asking price reductions and offered properties remain on the market longer

High Efficiency Positron Accumulation for High-Precision Measurements

Positrons are accumulated within a Penning trap designed to make more precise measurements of the positron and electron magnetic moments. The retractable radioactive source used is weak enough to require no license for handling radioactive material and the radiation dosage one meter from the source gives an exposure several times smaller than the average radiation dose on the earth's surface. The 100 mK trap is mechanically aligned with the 4.2 K superconducting solenoid that produces a 6 tesla magnetic trapping field with a direct mechanical coupling.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure

City of Bridgeport: Seeding Southend Commercial Infrastructure

The city of Bridgeport has suffered economically throughout the last 20-30 years. Much of this struggle can be traced to the loss of 19th and 20th century manufacturers coupled with poor fiscal management. In addition to Federal job development programs the State of Connecticut has actively pursued and offered a variety of tax-focused incentive programs to attract business to the state as well as it’s major cities. Despite these programs the City of Bridgeport remains reluctant to pursue these option or to create city specific programs. As a result other similar Connecticut cities are benefiting. The study identified a need for the city to implement a tax relief program for companies with less than 50 employees to encourage location into Bridgeport’s Enterprise Zone

Estrone and estradiol concentrations in human ovaries, testes, and adrenals during the first two years of life

To determine the origin of estrogens in infant blood, we measured estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) in the gonads of 50 girls and 64 boys who died suddenly between birth and 2 yr of age as well as in the adrenals of 18 of these infant girls and 16 of the boys. In the adrenals, E1 [median, 2.8 ng/g (10.4 pmol/g); range, 1.1-4.8 ng/g (4.1- 17.8 pmol/g)] and E2 [median, 3.0 ng/g (10.9 pmol/g); range, 1.2-5.3 ng/g (4.4-19.5 pmol/g)] were found in similar concentrations and were independent of age and sex. In the gonads, E2 was the major estrogen, but the concentrations differed markedly between the sexes; E2 exceeded E1 almost 10-fold in the ovaries and 2-fold in the testes. On the average, the gonads of the infant girls had 5 times more E2 and 2 times more E1 than those of the boys. As in plasma, E2 concentrations were highest in the ovaries of 1- to 6-month-old girls [median, 10.5 ng/g (38.5 pmol/g); range, 1.1-55.1 ng/g (4.0-202.0 pmol/g)] and in testes of 1- to 3-month-old boys [median, 1.8 ng/g (6.6 pmol/g); range, 0.6- 6.4 ng/g (2.3-23.5 pmol/g)]. Ovarian E2 concentrations declined to less than 3.0 ng/g (11.0 pmol/g) by the end of the first year of life, and testicular E2 declined to less than 1.0 ng/g (3.7 pmol/g) after only 6 months of age. Gonadal estrogen concentrations paralleled changes in gonadal morphology. Ovarian weights varied in a pattern of rise and fall similar to that of ovarian E2 concentrations; the biggest ovaries contained multiple macroscopic cysts. Testicular E2 closely correlated with Leydig cell development and testicular testosterone concentrations. We infer, therefore, that the surge of plasma E2 in infant girls originates from ovarian follicles and that of boys from testicular Leydig cells, and that these both occur as a result of the postnatal surge in gonadotropin secretion. The basal plasma E1 and E2 pool, however, is derived from the adrenals and remains at a comparatively constant level in both sexe

International Chinese Students: Enhancing the American Learning Experience

Approximately 975,000 international students are studying in the USA of which one third are from China. Research suggests that Chinese students face unique cross-cultural challenges in addition to the routine challenges faced by non-Chinese foreign students such as  language, customs and exchanges. This study identifies where international Chinese students need help adapting to the American education process as examined through a series of conversations with Chinese students using their social media tool WeChat. It is our belief that studying this issue on a qualitative basis using these conversations will provide insight into the forms of help needed along with how American educators may modify their classroom pedagogy to more fully integrate the Chinese learner into the instructor’s classroom

Quantitative Easing and Emerging Markets

This research uses an event-study approach to analyze the effect of Federal Reserve quantitative easing announcements on emerging market economies. Using a daily panel data of fifteen emerging economies, the period examined is from November 1, 2008 to December 1, 2014; from one month before the first announcement of quantitative easing to one month after the last announcement of tapering. Results show that markets have a larger response to tapering news than easing news

Illusions of gunk

The possibility of gunk has been used to argue against mereological nihilism. This paper explores two responses on the part of the microphysical mereological nihilist: (1) the contingency defence, which maintains that nihilism is true of the actual world; but that at other worlds, composition occurs; (2) the impossibility defence, which maintains that nihilism is necessary true, and so gunk worlds are impossible. The former is argued to be ultimately unstable; the latter faces the explanatorily burden of explaining the illusion that gunk is possible. It is argued that we can discharge this burden by focussing on the contingency of the microphysicalist aspect of microphysical mereological nihilism. The upshot is that gunk-based arguments against microphysical mereological nihilism can be resisted