The effects of environmental taxes and quotas on the optimal timing of emission reductions under Choquet-Brownian uncertainty

The effects of two environmental policy options for the reduction of pollution emissions, i.e. taxes and non-tradable quotas, are analyzed. In contrast to the prior literature this work endogenously takes into account the level of emissions before and after the adoption of the new environmental policy. The level of emissions is determined by solving the firm's profit maximization problem under taxes and fixed quotas. We find that the optimal adoption threshold under taxes is always larger than the adoption threshold under fixed quota, even in a setting characterized by ecological uncertainty and ambiguity - in the form of Choquet-Brownian motions - on future costs and benefits over adopting environmental policies.

Characteristics of Eye-Position Gain Field Populations Determine Geometry of Visual Space

We have previously demonstrated differences in eye-position spatial maps for anterior inferotemporal cortex (AIT) in the ventral stream and lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP) in the dorsal stream, based on population decoding of gaze angle modulations of neural visual responses (i.e., eye-position gain fields). Here we explore the basis of such spatial encoding differences through modeling of gain field characteristics. We created a population of model neurons, each having a different eye-position gain field. This population was used to reconstruct eye-position visual space using multidimensional scaling. As gain field shapes have never been well established experimentally, we examined different functions, including planar, sigmoidal, elliptical, hyperbolic, and mixtures of those functions. All functions successfully recovered positions, indicating weak constraints on allowable gain field shapes. We then used a genetic algorithm to modify the characteristics of model gain field populations until the recovered spatial maps closely matched those derived from monkey neurophysiological data in AIT and LIP. The primary differences found between model AIT and LIP gain fields were that AIT gain fields were more foveally dominated. That is, gain fields in AIT operated on smaller spatial scales and smaller dispersions than in LIP. Thus we show that the geometry of eye-position visual space depends on the population characteristics of gain fields, and that differences in gain field characteristics for different cortical areas may underlie differences in the representation of space

Kilauea Volcano seen Anew

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LexOPS: An R package and user interface for the controlled generation of word stimuli

LexOPS is an R package and user interface designed to facilitate the generation of word stimuli for use in research. Notably, the tool permits the generation of suitably controlled word lists for any user-specified factorial design and can be adapted for use with any language. It features an intuitive graphical user interface, including the visualization of both the distributions within and relationships among variables of interest. An inbuilt database of English words is also provided, including a range of lexical variables commonly used in psycholinguistic research. This article introduces LexOPS, outlining the features of the package and detailing the sources of the inbuilt dataset. We also report a validation analysis, showing that, in comparison to stimuli of existing studies, stimuli optimized with LexOPS generally demonstrate greater constraint and consistency in variable manipulation and control. Current instructions for installing and using LexOPS are available at https://JackEdTaylor.github.io/LexOPSdocs/

The dynamical state of RX J1347.5−1145 from a combined strong lensing and X-ray analysis

We perform a combined X-ray and strong lensing analysis of RX J1347.5−1145, one of the most luminous galaxy clusters at X-ray wavelengths. We show that evidence from strong lensing alone, based on published Very Large Telescope (VLT) and new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, strongly argues in favour of a complex structure. The analysis takes into account arc positions, shapes and orientations, and is done thoroughly in the image plane. The cluster inner regions are well fitted by a bimodal mass distribution, with a total projected mass of Mtot= (9.9 ± 0.3) × 1014M⊙ h−1 within a radius of 360 kpc h−1 (1.5 arcmin). Such a complex structure could be a signature of a recent major merger as further supported by X-ray data. A temperature map of the cluster, based on deep Chandra observations, reveals a hot front located between the first main component and an X-ray emitting south-eastern subclump. The map also unveils a filament of cold gas in the innermost regions of the cluster, most probably a cooling wake caused by the motion of the cD inside the cool core region. A merger scenario in the plane of the sky between two dark matter subclumps is consistent with both our lensing and X-ray analyses, and can explain previous discrepancies with mass estimates based on the virial theore

Orthographic vs. morphological incomplete neutralization effects

This study, following up on work on Dutch by Warner, Jongman, Sereno, and Kemps (2004. Journal of Phonetics, 32, 251–276), investigates the influence of orthographic distinctions and underlying morphological distinctions on the small sub-phonemic durational differences that have been called incomplete neutralization. One part of the previous work indicated that an orthographic geminate/singleton distinction could cause speakers to produce an incomplete neutralization effect. However, one interpretation of the materials in that experiment is that they contain an underlying difference in the phoneme string at the level of concatenation of morphemes, rather than just an orthographic difference. Thus, the previous effect might simply be another example of incomplete neutralization of a phonemic distinction. The current experiment, also on Dutch, uses word pairs which have the same underlying morphological contrast, but do not differ in orthography. These new materials show no incomplete neutralization, and thus support the hypothesis that orthography, but not underlying morphological differences, can cause incomplete neutralization effects

Time delay in the Einstein-Straus solution

The time delay of strong lensing is computed in the framework of the Einstein-Straus solution. The theory is compared to the observational bound on the time delay of the lens SDSS J1004+4112.Comment: 20 pages, 4 tables, 1 figur

Redução da proporção touro:vaca no Pantanal Mato-Grossense.

Este trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de proporcionar alternativas de reducao da proporcao touro:vaca no Pantanal e, consequentemente, reduzir os custos de producao da pecuaria de corte regional. Utilizaram-se as proporcoes de 1:10, 1:25 e 1:40 em pastagens nativas com taxa de lotacao media de 0,28 UA/ha durante duas estacoes de monta consecutivas. A analise estatistica dos dados nao revelou efeito significativo para os seguintes fatores: ano (P=2.097), categoria animal (P=0,0773) e proporcao touro:vaca (P=8.134). Entretanto, para a variavel tipo de acasalamento (individuo ou multiplo), o sistema multiplo mostrou-se superior (P=0,0228) ao individual. Avaliou-se o impacto economico desta pratica de manejo no sistema de criacao extensivo do Pantanal e concluiu-se estar havendo subutilizacao de touros na regiao, na proporcao de 1:10. A utilizacao da proporcao 1:25 ou 1:40 reduziu os custos de producao do bezerro nascido em 60% e 75%, respectivamente.bitstream/item/37571/1/CT26.pd

Eficiência no manejo reprodutivo: sucesso no rebanho de cria.

Aspectos sanitário na implementação da estação de monta. Nutrição e reprodução de bovinos. Manejo da estação de monta. Sincronizacao do cio em bovinos de corte. Aspectos fisiológicos da fecundação e estabelecimento da prenhez.bitstream/item/104815/1/Eficiencia-no-manejo-reprodutivo.pdfCNPGC

Abell 370: A Cluster with a Pronounced Triaxial Morphology

We here combine Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, X-ray observations and spectroscopic redshifts of member galaxies, to constrain the intrinsic three-dimensional shape of the galaxy cluster: Abell 370. The cluster turns out to be strongly elongated along the l.o.s., with two (or more) substructures in the process of merging. Spectroscopy further suggests that the process must be taking place at a small angle respect to the l.o.s.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to the Proceedings of the COSPAR Scientific Assembly, E1.2 "Clusters of Galaxies: New Insights from XMM-Newton, Chandra and INTEGRAL", Paris (France), July 19-20, 2004. Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Researc