Is Law an Economic Contest? French Reactions to the Doing Business World Bank Reports and Economic Analysis of the Law

The economic analysis of law has provoked strong reactions among French academics, in particular since 2004 when the first of the Doing Business reports was published. French jurists have joined forces to expose the methodological limits inherent to these reports, which rated France a long way behind other legal systems allegedly more able to facilitate business. In its first part, this article examines the various reactions to these reports, almost all of which were published in French only. In the second part, the focus is on the position of economic analysis in French law, its role, and, in particular, the impact of the Law and Economics school on comparative law in France. It also takes a look at the studies that followed, especially the legal origins thesis. The article shows that the various approaches are complementary and that economic analysis, without supplanting the traditional comparative approach, has considerable use. At a time when the globalization of business relationships is leading more than ever to a competition between the various national laws, comparatists should include more of this dimension into their field of study. Comparatists can also take a cue from economists on how to improve the relevance and the influence of their research in the public debate

Numerical Simulation of the Thermodependant Viscohyperelastic Behavior of Polyethylene Terephthalate Near the Glass Transition Temperature: Prediction of the Self-Heating During Biaxial Tension Test

The poly ethylene terephthalate near the glass transition temperature highlights a strongly non linear elastic and viscous behaviour when biaxially stretched at high strain rates representative of the injection stretch blow moulding process. A non linear visco-hyperelastic model, where characteristics are coupled to the temperature, has already been identified from equi-biaxial tension experimental results. The weak form of the mechanical part of the model is presented and implemented into a finite element code developed in the Matlab environment and validated by comparing numerical simulation of equibiaxial testing with the analytical solution in the isothermal case. Considering the thermal aspects, an experimental study, where PETsheets are heated using infrared (IR for short) lamps is also presented. The modeling of the IR radiation of the sheet helps to identify the thermal properties of the PET. The thermal model is then implemented in the finite element code, coupled to the 2D viscoelasticmodel. A discussion ismade to justify the accuracy of the assumption made on homogeneity of the temperature field through the thickness. The simulation of the 2D plane stress equibiaxial test shows the important influence of the thermal aspects and the coupled thermo-mechanical software is used to quantify the selfheating phenomenon in the case of the biaxial elongations of PET sheets at high strain rates. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 53:2683–2695, 2013. ª2013 Society of Plastics Engineer

Metals in the shell of Bathymodiolus azoricus from a hydrothermal vent site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Specimens of the mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus were collected from Menez Gwen, a relatively shallow (850 m) hydrothermal vent field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Each bivalve shell (n = 21) was individually cleaned by selective chemical. The residual crystal matrix of each shell was individually analysed for the concentrations of the minor elements magnesium and strontium and the trace elements iron, manganese, copper and zinc. The chemical composition of the crystal matrix is unusual. B. azoricus is identified as a species having one of the most strontium impoverished shells amongst the marine molluscs. For a bimineral species the magnesium concentration is also extraordinary low. Despite originating from a trace metal rich environment; the metal concentrations in the shells were exceptionally low. Mean concentrations of iron, manganese, copper and zinc were 20.6, 3.7, 0.6 and 9.4 microg g(-1) respectively. Minor and trace element concentrations exhibited a marked intra-population variability. Copper concentrations increased and iron and zinc concentrations decreased with increasing shell weight. Due to its insensitivity to the high environmental levels of trace elements and the variability in intra-population concentrations induced by shell weight the crystal matrix of the shell of B. azoricus has little potential for use in environmental trace metal monitoring in areas contiguous to deep-sea hydrothermal vents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dispersal in Mastomys natalensis mice: use of fine-scale genetic analyses for pest management

Mastomys natalensis is the major pest rodent in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, population genetic techniques were used to gain new insights into its dispersal behaviour, a critical parameter in pest management. Using 11 microsatellites, 272 individuals from a 300 ha area in Tanzania were genotyped. Genetic diversity was high, with no isolation by distance and little differentiation between field plots far apart, indicating a large effective population size and high dispersal rates in agreement with ecological observations. On the other hand, genetic differentiation between nearby field plots, isolation by distance within a single field plot and kin clustering were also observed. This apparent contradiction may be explained by yearly founder effects of a small number of breeding individuals per square area, which is consistent with the presence of linkage disequilibrium. An alternative, not mutually exclusive explanation is that there are both dispersing and sedentary animals in the population. The low-density field plots were characterized by low relatedness and small genetic distances to other field plots, indicating a high turnover rate and negative density-dependent dispersal. In one field plot female-biased dispersal was observed, which may be related to inbreeding avoidance or female competition for resources. Most juveniles appeared to be local recruits, but they did not seem to stay in their native area for more than two months. Finally, possible implications for pest management are discusse

Manchester Histories: Doing Your Oral History Project (Hidden Histories, Hidden Historians, Toolkit 2)

This toolkit is a step-by-step guide to doing a successful oral history project. It covers all the key steps in the process of putting together your project, from planning and design, to interview skills, and organising your material and transcription