3,539 research outputs found
Pathos and patter in real estate parlance
This paper presents the first systematic analysis of estate agent language and employs Aristotleâs ponderings on the art of persuasion as a means of classifying the peculiar parlance of property peddlers. âDes. Res.â, ârarely availableâ, âviewing essentialâ â these are all part of the peculiar parlance of housing advertisements. The question is whether the selling agentâs penchant for rhetoric is uniform across a single urban system or whether there are variations, even within a relatively limited geographical area. We are also interested in how the use of superlatives varies over the market cycle. For example, are estate agents more inclined to use hyperbole when the market is buoyant or when it is flat? This paper attempts to answer these questions by applying textual analysis to a unique dataset of 49,926 records of real estate transactions in the West of Scotland over the period 1999 to 2006. Our analysis has implications for our understanding of the agency behaviour of housing market professionals and endeavours to open up a new avenue of research into the market-impact of rhetoric in the language of selling
Optimal cellular mobility for synchronization arising from the gradual recovery of intercellular interactions
Cell movement and intercellular signaling occur simultaneously during the
development of tissues, but little is known about how movement affects
signaling. Previous theoretical studies have shown that faster moving cells
favor synchronization across a population of locally coupled genetic
oscillators. An important assumption in these studies is that cells can
immediately interact with their new neighbors after arriving at a new location.
However, intercellular interactions in cellular systems may need some time to
become fully established. How movement affects synchronization in this
situation has not been examined. Here we develop a coupled phase oscillator
model in which we consider cell movement and the gradual recovery of
intercellular coupling experienced by a cell after movement, characterized by a
moving rate and a coupling recovery rate respectively. We find (1) an optimal
moving rate for synchronization, and (2) a critical moving rate above which
achieving synchronization is not possible. These results indicate that the
extent to which movement enhances synchrony is limited by a gradual recovery of
coupling. These findings suggest that the ratio of time scales of movement and
signaling recovery is critical for information transfer between moving cells.Comment: 18 single column pages + 1 table + 5 figures + Supporting Informatio
Electrode current distributions in MGD CHANNELS
Current distribution to and electric field behavior of segmented electrodes in linear magnetogasdynamic generato
Nonlinearity arising from noncooperative transcription factor binding enhances negative feedback and promotes genetic oscillations
We study the effects of multiple binding sites in the promoter of a genetic
oscillator. We evaluate the regulatory function of a promoter with multiple
binding sites in the absence of cooperative binding, and consider different
hypotheses for how the number of bound repressors affects transcription rate.
Effective Hill exponents of the resulting regulatory functions reveal an
increase in the nonlinearity of the feedback with the number of binding sites.
We identify optimal configurations that maximize the nonlinearity of the
feedback. We use a generic model of a biochemical oscillator to show that this
increased nonlinearity is reflected in enhanced oscillations, with larger
amplitudes over wider oscillatory ranges. Although the study is motivated by
genetic oscillations in the zebrafish segmentation clock, our findings may
reveal a general principle for gene regulation.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Synchronization in the presence of distributed delays
We study systems of identical coupled oscillators introducing a distribution
of delay times in the coupling. For arbitrary network topologies, we show that
the frequency and stability of the fully synchronized states depend only on the
mean of the delay distribution. However, synchronization dynamics is sensitive
to the shape of the distribution. In the presence of coupling delays, the
synchronization rate can be maximal for a specific value of the coupling
strength.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Observation of Large Atomic-Recoil Induced Asymmetries in Cold Atom Spectroscopy
The atomic recoil effect leads to large (25 %) asymmetries in simple
spectroscopic investigations of Ca atoms that have been laser-cooled to 10
microkelvin. Starting with spectra from the more familiar Doppler-broadened
domain, we show how the fundamental asymmetry between absorption and stimulated
emission of light manifests itself when shorter spectroscopic pulses lead to
the Fourier transform regime. These effects occur on frequency scales much
larger than the size of the recoil shift itself, and have not been observed
before in saturation spectroscopy. These results are relevant to
state-of-the-art optical atomic clocks based on freely expanding neutral atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
The Multi-Level Marketing Pandemic
Among the societal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a sharp rise in the activities of multi-level marketing companies (MLMs). MLMs are business enterprises in which participants seek not only to sell products to friends, family, and social media contacts, but also to recruit them as MLM participants, with the promise of building their own business from home.
False promises often pervade MLM sales pitches. Evidence shows that few participants see even a dollar of profit from their MLM work; the vast majority of recruits quickly abandon their MLM dreams and lose their investments. Yet the pitch has become all the more appealing in the course of the pandemic. Many people are desperate - unemployed and in need of immediate earnings as well as flexible, at-home work due to health concerns and family responsibilities. MLMs have been particularly appealing to the working mothers who, evidence shows, have borne the brunt of COVID-19\u27s impact on employment, childcare, and household responsibilities.
Regulators have long scrutinized and fought the worst abuses of MLMs. They have sought to shut down unscrupulous MLMs that are nothing more than fraudulent pyramid schemes, and to curtail the misrepresentations and exaggerations that are all too often the stock in-trade of MLM participants. But regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), face significant legal and practical limitations in their ability to promulgate and enforce MLM regulations.
This Article proposes means of stemming the pandemic-driven expansion of unlawful MLM activities. It assesses efforts by regulators, by social media companies, and by self-regulatory organizations set up by MLMs themselves. Comprehensive, long-term success at curbing the abuses of MLMs will require more significant regulatory action than is currently permitted by law. The steps outlined here can provide some much-needed relief for consumers harmed by the unlawful MLM activities that have been fostered by the pandemic. They may also provide a blueprint for nimble regulatory responses to future crises when unscrupulous MLM promoters will, no doubt, further adapt their strategies to take advantage of the vulnerable
Comparison of Power Dependence of Microwave Surface Resistance of Unpatterned and Patterned YBCO Thin Film
The effect of the patterning process on the nonlinearity of the microwave
surface resistance of YBCO thin films is investigated. With the use of a
sapphire dielectric resonator and a stripline resonator, the microwave of
YBCO thin films was measured before and after the patterning process, as a
function of temperature and the rf peak magnetic field in the film. The
microwave loss was also modeled, assuming a dependence of
on current density . Experimental and modeled results
show that the patterning has no observable effect on the microwave residual
or on the power dependence of .Comment: Submitted to IEEE Trans. MT
Understanding the introduction and use of a mobile device-supported health information system in Nigeria
Copyright @ 2014 The Authors.This paper presents an in-depth analysis of efforts to introduce a mobile health information system in Nigeria as part of a development initiative aimed at improving maternal and child health. Specifically, it examines the use of mobile devices to facilitate maternal health information accessibility and exchange among health practitioners in order to reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality. Further, it also looks at the challenges raised while introducing mobile devices into work practices in the healthcare sector.
The study adopts a case study approach, relying on semi-structured interviews and document analysis as its main methods for collecting data. The specific case examined is a mobile phone-based information system introduced to support a national government effort in Nigeria, known as the midwives service scheme. The findings of this study show that this integrated approach of using mobile phones to support (health) information systems has vast potential; for instance increasing the timeliness of (health) data available to stakeholders for monitoring and planning purposes. However, we also find that over time, attaining the potential of development efforts such as this remains difficult as initiatives involving the use of mobile devices is not just about getting the technical aspect right. It is equally dependent on deep seated social-cultural influences such as poor political and financial commitment. These two mutually reinforcing influences have been identified in this study as significant impediments to efforts of this kind. Therefore, this paper argues for, first a strong political commitment across all levels of government whereby their words are backed with action. Second it is important that the government maintains financial integrity by releasing the funds budgeted to support the smooth running of these efforts, for such initiatives to thrive and ultimately contribute to development
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