Rate of Convergence to Barenblatt Profiles for the Fast Diffusion Equation with a Critical Exponent

We study the asymptotic behaviour near extinction of positive solutions of the Cauchy problem for the fast diffusion equation with a critical exponent. After a suitable rescaling which yields a non--linear Fokker--Planck equation, we find a continuum of algebraic rates of convergence to a self--similar profile. These rates depend explicitly on the spatial decay rates of initial data. This improves a previous result on slow convergence for the critical fast diffusion equation ({\sc Bonforte et al}. in Arch Rat Mech Anal 196:631--680, 2010) and provides answers to some open problems

The Supply Adjustment Process in Retail Space Markets

Previous research has reported that the real estate market for retail space is slow to adjust, however, comparatively little research has investigated the supply of retail space for individual metropolitan markets. This study presents our findings by metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of the mean retail space supply lag, the short- and long-run retail space supply elasticities with respect to retail sales and the response of retail space supply to interest rate changes. The considerable variation in mean retail space supply lags and supply elasticities for our sample of fifty-six major MSAs has important implications for investors, developers and others who hold financial stakes in the supply of retail space.

Franchising in Residential Brokerage

This paper explores the profitability of real estate franchises. The database for the study consists of observations from the National Association of Realtors©' 2001 survey of real estate brokerage firms. Franchises are found to generate additional revenue for franchisees. However, net margins defined as the difference between revenues received and expenses paid (including franchise royalties) are lower for firms with franchises. The findings indicate that franchisors appear to extract the excess rents from the franchisee.

What factors influence mitigative capacity ?

Cet article s'intéresse aux déterminants de la capacité à atténuer le changement climatique. Ceux-ci ont été élaborés initialement dans un papier de Yohe puis dans le troisième rapport d'évaluation du GIEC. Après avoir revisité la définition de la capacité à atténuer le changement climatique, nous identifions trois groupes de facteurs influençant de façon croisée cette capacité : des facteurs économiques, technologiques et institutionnels. Au niveau économique, ce sont à la fois le revenu, le coût de réduction des émissions et le coût d'opportunité lié aux réductions qui forgent la capacité d'atténuation. Du côté technologique, c'est la capacité à absorber ou à développer des technologies peu émettrices de gaz à effet de serre qui est déterminante. Enfin, au niveau institutionnel, l'efficacité de la régulation gouvernementale, la transparence des règles de marché, une main d'œuvre qualifiée et une sensibilisation de la population sont des éléments clés. Notre analyse est menée à la fois qualitativement et quantitativement. Elle permet de montrer comment les facteurs influençant la capacité d'atténuation varient d'un pays à l'autrechangement climatique ; capacité d'atténuation ; politique environnementale

Technology and Real Estate Brokerage Firm Financial Performance

This study investigates the impact of Internet usage on the financial performance of residential real estate brokerage firms using a database of over 1,700 observations. Factor loadings and a factor score for Internet usage are developed. The results show that Internet use is positively related to revenue and net income, and negatively related to net margin. In a second stage analysis, Internet use is found to be positively associated with franchise affiliation, affiliation with a referral /relocation network and firm size, while negatively related to firm age, single-office firms and location in the West and South (relative to the Northeast).

High-Potential C112D/M121X (X = M, E, H, L) Pseudomonas aeruginosa Azurins

Site-directed mutagenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin C112D at the M121 position has afforded a series of proteins with elevated Cu^(II/I) reduction potentials relative to the CuII aquo ion. The high potential and low axial hyperfine splitting (Cu^(II) electron paramagnetic resonance A|) of the C112D/M121L protein are remarkably similar to features normally associated with type 1 copper centers

Synchronous vs Asynchronous Chain Motion in α-Synuclein Contact Dynamics

α-Synuclein (α-syn) is an intrinsically unstructured 140-residue neuronal protein of uncertain function that is implicated in the etiology of Parkinson’s disease. Tertiary contact formation rate constants in α-syn, determined from diffusion-limited electron-transfer kinetics measurements, are poorly approximated by simple random polymer theory. One source of the discrepancy between theory and experiment may be that interior-loop formation rates are not well approximated by end-to-end contact dynamics models. We have addressed this issue with Monte Carlo simulations to model asynchronous and synchronous motion of contacting sites in a random polymer. These simulations suggest that a dynamical drag effect may slow interior-loop formation rates by about a factor of 2 in comparison to end-to-end loops of comparable size. The additional deviations from random coil behavior in α-syn likely arise from clustering of hydrophobic residues in the disordered polypeptide

Structured total least norm and approximate GCDs of inexact polynomials

The determination of an approximate greatest common divisor (GCD) of two inexact polynomials f=f(y) and g=g(y) arises in several applications, including signal processing and control. This approximate GCD can be obtained by computing a structured low rank approximation S*(f,g) of the Sylvester resultant matrix S(f,g). In this paper, the method of structured total least norm (STLN) is used to compute a low rank approximation of S(f,g), and it is shown that important issues that have a considerable effect on the approximate GCD have not been considered. For example, the established works only yield one matrix S*(f,g), and therefore one approximate GCD, but it is shown in this paper that a family of structured low rank approximations can be computed, each member of which yields a different approximate GCD. Examples that illustrate the importance of these and other issues are presented