Proposal for Two Phonetic Characters

This is a proposal to add two phonetic characters to the international character encoding standard Unicode. The characters were published in Unicode Standard version 7.0 in June 2014

Listing Specialization and Residential Real Estate Licensee

Earlier research has found that specialization by real estate agents creates economies of scope for real estate firms. So far, however, no research has addressed this issue at the agent level. The question this research seeks to answer is whether specialization in one side of the real estate transaction increases agent income. The most important finding is that specialization has an asymmetric impact on earnings. Specializing in listings positively enhances agent income. In contrast, specialization on the selling side has an adverse affect on agent income. The implications of these findings for the consumer and real estate industry are also examined.

The Capitalization of Seller Paid Consessions

Using a hedonic pricing model, we analyze the capitalization of total seller paid discount points and closing costs into the price of a house. We hypothesize that sellers are concerned about the sales price net of total seller paid concessions (SPNC), rather than the exact terms of the transaction. Since the SPNC is easily ascertained in the negotiation process, we further hypothesize that total seller paid concessions (TSPC) are fully capitalized into the sales price. To test this hypothesis, sales price is regressed on a set of control variables including TSPC. In this framework, TSPC will be positive and not significantly different from one if concessions are fully capitalized. The empirical results provide support for the capitalization hypothesis. Negotiation strategies and study limitations follow from the empirical results.

Batch to Real-Time: Incremental Data Collection & Analytics Platform

Real-time data collection and analytics is a desirable but challenging feature to provide in data-intensive software systems. To provide highly concurrent and efficient real-time analytics on streaming data at interactive speeds requires a well-designed software architecture that makes use of a carefully selected set of software frameworks. In this paper, we report on the design and implementation of the Incremental Data Collection & Analytics Platform (IDCAP). The IDCAP provides incremental data collection and indexing in real-time of social media data; support for real-time analytics at interactive speeds; highly concurrent batch data processing supported by a novel data model; and a front-end web client that allows an analyst to manage IDCAP resources, to monitor incoming data in real-time, and to provide an interface that allows incremental queries to be performed on top of large Twitter datasets

The Promise and Peril of Walking Indigenous Territorial Recognitions carried out by Settlers

This article proposes that if the permission and guidance of local Indigenous groups is obtained, and their protocols observed, a collaborative physical act of settler, or Indigenous-settler walking across territory on which events are to be held may constitute a more constructive form of ‘territorial acknowledgement’ than a verbal statement read out at such an event. By drawing sustained attention not only to Indigenous land but also to Indigenous title, resources, and jurisdiction, and by pointedly underlining the actual land in question, walking territorial acknowledgements can help settlers to develop an embodied sense of place-in-relation. In so doing they can move forward both the relationality implicit in Indigenous territorial recognition and the claims territorial recognitions make on settler bodies. These walk-acts diminish the superficial ‘virtue-signalling’ and public performance of contrition which too often attach to such acknowledgements, threatening to render them obsolete

Social responsibility in a troubled world

PURPOSE– Social responsibility (SR) in accepting the obligation to resolve the many troubling problems facing tomorrow’s generations is essential if those problems are to be effectively addressed. The purpose of this paper is to identify the nature of SR for business, academic institutions, government, religious institutions, and individuals. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – This paper is a conceptual paper which relies heavily on the current literature about social obligations for five major organizations: business, academic institutions, government, religious institutions, and individuals. Findings – The paper provides the standard of the virtuous continuum and the Hosmer decision-making model to explain why leaders, organizations, and individuals must be more responsible to be perceived as virtuous leaders, complete with 50 examples of action to be taken. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS – As this paper is not an empirical study, it does not present research information. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS – This paper suggests that organizations can be more effective if they come to understand the responsibilities and stewardship of social responsibilities entrusted to them. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – The paper expands on Hosmer’s research and incorporates a virtuous continuum in examining the responsibilities of leaders, organizations, and individuals. More importantly, this paper is among the first to identify the specific steps organizations and individuals can take in addressing the challenges and problems facing the world of in key aspects of society

EC87-115 Breeding and Management Improve Quality of Switchgrass Pasture

Extension circular 87-115 is about breeding and management improves quality of switchgrass pasture

Water Quality Conditions and Restoration of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) in the Tidal Freshwater James River 2005

In 2005, wild celery (Vallisneria americana) whole shoots, seeds and intact seed pods with seeds were transplanted into four sites in the Hopewell region of the tidal James River. The SAV transplants were sampled by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) for survivorship and growth at bi-weekly to monthly intervals throughout the growing season. Concurrently, water quality sampling was conducted at bi-weekly intervals throughout the year for water column nutrients, chlorophyll a, suspended solids, water transparency and other chemical and physical constituents important for SAV growth. Continuous underway sampling was also conducted along the James River tidal freshwater segments from the mouth of the Chickahominy River to the upstream limits of tidal water at Richmond. Objectives of the study were to: 1) expand the SAV transplanted plots within the study sites previously transplanted; 2) conduct water quality sampling using both fixed station and continuous underway Dataflow sampling; 3) evaluate the relationships between SAV transplant performance using seeds and whole plants and water quality. SAV transplant growth and survival were evident at all sites at depths of approximately 0.4 m below low water, when the plants were protected from herbivory by exclosures. Seeds obtained from wild stock and planted within the exclosures germinated and produced adult plants at each of the sites. The use of seeds of wild celery harvested from reproductive shoots collected in the Potomac River during the fall of 2004 proved successful. Seedlings sprouted within one month of planting at all transplant sites. The whole shoot transplants suffered some initial losses but survivorship was approximately 40% to 70%. Both seedlings produced from seed, and seed pod plantings, as well as transplanted whole shoots that were not protected by protective fencing were heavily grazed and did not survive throughout the summer. Water quality monitoring in the tidal James River in 2005 indicated continued adequate water quality for SAV growth. Turbidity levels, while highest in the upper JMSTF1 segment and lower JMSTF2 segment, were suitable for SAV growth to depths of 0.5 m in most areas. In part this is likely due to the availability of light at low tidal periods when shoot leaves can reach the water’s surface. Phytoplankton levels, measured as chlorophyll, were largely within surface water chlorophyll standards and water quality criteria for SAV growth in most areas. When integrated across the entire segments using continuous underway spatial sampling, average concentrations were found to generally be within criteria limits, except during the mid-summer. Phytoplankton did appear to contribute to reduced water clarity, although this proportion was much smaller than that caused by suspended sediments. Nutrient levels generally were comparable with earlier years’ monitoring results and long term increasing or decreasing trends since 1999 were not evident. Summertime chlorophyll levels in 2005 were higher than 2004, but much lower than those observed in 2001 and 2002. These differences may be related to water residence time in this tidal freshwater region of the James River, with highest concentrations generally observed during lower flow years. Higher salinities, and therefore lower flow and reduced flushing, in 2005 may have caused the slightly higher chlorophyll levels observed during the summer of 2005