Rapid identification of European (Anguilla anguilla) and North American eel (Anguilla rostrata) by polymerase chain reaction.

A rapid and cost effective DNA test is described to identify European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and North American eel (Anguilla rostrata). By means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene are amplified with species specific primers which are designed to produce PCR fragments of different characteristic sizes for European and American eel. The size differences can easily be made visible by agarose gel electrophoresis

Report on the electrophoretic and morphometric studies conducted at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission from 1969 to 1978

Knowledge of the population structure of an exploited stock is necessary for the effective management of a fishery. For this reason the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) has sponsored numerous genetic, morphometric, and migration studies of yellowfin, Thunnus albacares, and skipjack, Katswonus pelamis, in a concerted effort to determine the structure of these stocks in the eastern Pacific Ocean. (PDF contains 171 pages.)

Essays in behavioral and neuro-economics

This thesis examines foundational questions in behavioral economics—also called psychology and economics—and the neural foundations of varied sources of utility. We have three primary aims: First, to provide the field of behavioral economics with psychological theories of behavior that are derived from neuroscience and to use those theories to identify novel evidence for behavioral biases. Second, we provide neural and micro foundations of behavioral preferences that give rise to well-documented empirical phenomena in behavioral economics. Finally, we show how a deep understanding of the neural foundations of these behavioral preferences can feed back into our theories of social preferences and reference-dependent utility.

The first chapter focuses on classical conditioning and its application in identifying the psychological underpinnings of a pricing phenomenon. We return to classical conditioning again in the third chapter where we use fMRI to identify varied sources of utility—here, reference dependent versus direct utility—and cross-validate our interpretation with a conditioning experiment. The second chapter engages social preferences and, more broadly, causative utility (wherein the decision-maker derives utility from making or avoiding particular choices).

Essays in mechanism design

This dissertation contains three essays on mechanism design. The common goal of these essays is to assist in the solution of different resource allocation problems where asymmetric information creates obstacles to the efficient allocation of resources. In each essay, we present a mechanism that satisfactorily solves the resource allocation problem and study some of its properties. In our first essay, ”Combinatorial Assignment under Dichotomous Preferences”, we present a class of problems akin to time scheduling without a pre-existing time grid, and propose a mechanism that is efficient, strategy-proof and envy-free. Our second essay, ”Monitoring Costs and the Management of Common-Pool Resources”, studies what can happen to an existing mechanism — the individual tradable quotas (ITQ) mechanism, also known as the cap-and-trade mechanism — when quota enforcement is imperfect and costly. Our third essay, ”Vessel Buyback”, coauthored with John O. Ledyard, presents an auction design that can be used to buy back excess capital in overcapitalized industries.

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the years 1950 and 1951

ENGLISH: The Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica for the establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission was signed May 31, 1949. Ratifications were exchanged on March 3, 1950, after arrival at understandings respecting the interpretation of certain provisions. The text of the Convention is appended to this report. Also appended are the enabling legislation passed by the United States Congress, giving effect to the Convention, and the Decree ratifying the Convention adopted by the Republic of Costa Rica. The most important provisions of the Convention may be summarized here, as the basis for the policy and actions of the Commission. SPANISH: La Convención entre los Estados Unidos de América y la República de Costa Rica para el establecimiento de la, Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical fué suscrita el 31 de Mayo de 1949. El cambio de ratificaciones, después de haber llegado a un entendimiento respecto de la interpretación de ciertas cláusulas, se efectuó el 3 de Marzo de 1950. El texto de la Convención se agrega a este informe. También se agrega la legislación correspondiente, emitida por el Congreso de los Estados Unidos para dar efectividad a la Convención, y el Decreto de Ratificación del Convenio promulgado por la República de Costa Rica. Los aspectos más importantes de la Convención se sintetizan aquí por constituir las bases que regulan la política y los actos de la Comisión, creada en virtud de aquélla. (PDF contains 58 pages.)