Interst Group Incentives for Post-lottery Trade Restrictions

The rights to use publicly-managed natural resources are sometimes distributed by lottery,and typically these rights are non-transferable. Prohibition of post-lottery permit transfers discourages applicants from entering the lottery solely for protable permit sale, so only those who personally value the use of the resource apply. However, because permits are distributed randomly and trade is restricted, permits may not be used by those who value them most. We examine a possible rationale for restrictions on permit transfers based on the distribution of welfare across interest groups, and characterize the economic conditions under which post-lottery prohibitions on trade are likely to arise. We develop our model using the specic case of the Four Rivers Lottery used to allocate rafting permits on four river sections in Idaho and Oregon.lottery, trade prohibition, interest groups

Linear Self-Motion Cues Support the Spatial Distribution and Stability of Hippocampal Place Cells

The vestibular system provides a crucial component of place-cell and head-direction cell activity [1-7]. Otolith signals are necessary for head-direction signal stability and associated behavior [8, 9], and the head-direction signal's contribution to parahippocampal spatial representations [10-14] suggests that place cells may also require otolithic information. Here, we demonstrate that self-movement information from the otolith organs is necessary for the development of stable place fields within and across sessions. Place cells in otoconia-deficient tilted mice showed reduced spatial coherence and formed place fields that were located closer to environmental boundaries, relative to those of control mice. These differences reveal an important otolithic contribution to place-cell functioning and provide insight into the cognitive deficits associated with otolith dysfunction

Report of the panel on earth structure and dynamics, section 6

The panel identified problems related to the dynamics of the core and mantle that should be addressed by NASA programs. They include investigating the geodynamo based on observations of the Earth's magnetic field, determining the rheology of the mantle from geodetic observations of post-glacial vertical motions and changes in the gravity field, and determining the coupling between plate motions and mantle flow from geodetic observations of plate deformation. Also emphasized is the importance of support for interdisciplinary research to combine various data sets with models which couple rheology, structure and dynamics

Fixed-point adiabatic quantum search

Fixed-point quantum search algorithms succeed at finding one of M target items among N total items even when the run time of the algorithm is longer than necessary. While the famous Grover's algorithm can search quadratically faster than a classical computer, it lacks the fixed-point property—the fraction of target items must be known precisely to know when to terminate the algorithm. Recently, Yoder, Low, and Chuang [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 210501 (2014)] gave an optimal gate-model search algorithm with the fixed-point property. Previously, it had been discovered by Roland and Cerf [Phys. Rev. A 65, 042308 (2002)] that an adiabatic quantum algorithm, operating by continuously varying a Hamiltonian, can reproduce the quadratic speedup of gate-model Grover search. We ask, can an adiabatic algorithm also reproduce the fixed-point property? We show that the answer depends on what interpolation schedule is used, so as in the gate model, there are both fixed-point and non-fixed-point versions of adiabatic search, only some of which attain the quadratic quantum speedup. Guided by geometric intuition on the Bloch sphere, we rigorously justify our claims with an explicit upper bound on the error in the adiabatic approximation. We also show that the fixed-point adiabatic search algorithm can be simulated in the gate model with neither loss of the quadratic Grover speedup nor of the fixed-point property. Finally, we discuss natural uses of fixed-point algorithms such as preparation of a relatively prime state and oblivious amplitude amplification.American Society for Engineering Education. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate FellowshipMIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms MIT International Science and Technology InitiativeNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (RQCC Project 1111337)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (Paul E. Gray Endowed Fund

The Cost of Dispersal: Predation as a Function of Movement and Site Familiarity in Ruffed Grouse

Ecologists often assume that dispersing individuals experience increased predation risk owing to increased exposure to predators while moving. To test the hypothesis that predation risk is a function of movement distance or rate of movement, we used radio-telemetry data collected from 193 ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) during 1996–1999 in southeastern Ohio. Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to examine whether the risk of predation was affected by the rate of movement and site familiarity. We found evidence indicating that increased movement rates may increase the risk of predation for adult birds but not juveniles. We also found juvenile and adult birds inhabiting unfamiliar space were consistently at a much higher risk of predation (three to 7.5 times greater) than those in familiar space. Our results indicate that although movement itself may have some effect on the risk of being preyed upon, moving through unfamiliar space has a much greater effect on risk for ruffed grouse. This supports the hypothesis that increased predation risk may be an important cost of dispersal for birds.This work was funded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and supported by the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at the Ohio State University

Moral hazard and the division of labor in agricultural land leases

land lease contracts, moral hazard, contract duration, division of labor, Land Economics/Use,

Munc18c: a controversial regulator of peripheral insulin action

Insulin resistance, a hallmark of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes (T2D), arises from dysfunction of insulin action and subsequent glucose uptake by peripheral tissues, predominantly skeletal muscle and fat. Exocytosis of glucose transporter (GLUT4)-containing vesicles facilitated by soluble NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) attachment receptor (SNARE) protein isoforms, and Munc18c (mammalian homolog of Unc-18c) mediates this glucose uptake. Emerging evidences, including recent human clinical studies, point to pivotal roles for Munc18c in peripheral insulin action in adipose and skeletal muscle. Intriguing new advances are also initiating debates regarding the molecular mechanism(s) controlling Munc18c action. The objective of this review is therefore to present a balanced perspective of new continuities and controversies surrounding the regulation and requirement for Munc18c in the regulation of peripheral insulin action