Fragmentation and immiserising specialisation : the case of the textile and clothing sector

With production activity tending rapidly towards international fragmentation, this study examines the consequences for labour countries of the forms of specialisation brought about by fragmentation processes. It further addresses the risk that fragmented sectors may become excluded from greater developments within the manufacturing industry as a whole. An empirical analysis using panel data reveals that, contrary to expectation, the textile and clothing sector in labour countries does not always reap the positive benefits of this form of international trade integration. Rather, we observe a phenomenon of immiserising specialisation, due to a drop in relative wages within this sector.offshoring ; outsourcing ; fragmentation ; immiserising specialisation ; relative wages ; textile and clothing sector

Can forensic science learn from the COVID-19 crisis?

This paper draws parallels between the current COVID-19 crisis and the apparent forensic science crisis. It investigates if shared approaches of the problem and solutions could emerge. Some relevant aspects of the medical system as it reacted to the pandemic crisis and the situation in forensic science are presented. Further, three main stages of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on individuals and society are proposed, highlighting similarities to the effects of forensic science. Finally, some lessons from COVID-19 for forensic science are identified and discussed. It is concluded that forensic science’s best assurance to address current and future challenges, particularly in an increasingly digital environment, remains a sound scientific approach, including critical thinking and inter-disciplinary collaborations

The First Seven Years of Working Life of Young People without Qualifications: State Employment Measures

In 1998, 116,000 young people left education without a graduation. In the context of a general rise in the level of education, these young people have more difficulty finding a job than their qualified counterparts. Although one in three quickly finds long-term employment, the others spend their first three years and beyond in the labour market looking for a stabilized job. These young people, faced with the competition of highly-qualified people or the reluctance of employers to employ them, often turn to the Government employment measures designed to help them. More than four in ten non graduate young people have benefited from training, a "contrat en alternance" (paid apprenticeship contract), a "contrat emploi solidarité" (solidarity employment contract) or an "emploi jeune" (youth insertion job) during the first seven years of their working life, and for 16% of those young people these measures greatly structure their first few years in the labour market.Non Graduate Young People, School to Work Transition, Employment Measures

Fragmentation and immiserising specialisation : the case of the textile and clothing sector

Working Paper GATE 2010-03With production activity tending rapidly towards international fragmentation, this study examines the consequences for labour countries of the forms of specialisation brought about by fragmentation processes. It further addresses the risk that fragmented sectors may become excluded from greater developments within the manufacturing industry as a whole. An empirical analysis using panel data reveals that, contrary to expectation, the textile and clothing sector in labour countries does not always reap the positive benefits of this form of international trade integration. Rather, we observe a phenomenon of immiserising specialisation, due to a drop in relative wages within this sector

Aerosol deposition and origin in French mountains estimated with soil inventories of 210Pb and artificial radionuclides

Radionuclide inventories were measured in soils from different French mountainous areas: Chaîne des Puys (Massif Central), Eastern Corsica, Jura, Montagne Noire, Savoie, Vosges and Rhine Valley. 210Pb soil inventories were used to estimate long-term (>75 yr) deposition of submicron aerosols. Whereas 210Pb total deposition is explained partly by wet deposition, as demonstrated by increase of 210Pb inventory with annual rainfall; a part of 210Pb in the soils of higher altitude is caused by orographic depositions. Using measurements of radionuclides coming from nuclear aerial weapon tests (137Cs and Pu isotopes), we were able to estimate the origin of aerosols deposited in high-altitude sites and to confirm the importance of occult deposition and feeder–seeder mechanism. Using a simple mass balance model, we estimate that occult deposition and feeder–seeder mechanisms account to more than 50% of total deposition of 210Pb and associated submicron aerosols in French altitude sites

Shifting forensic science focus from means to purpose:A path forward for the discipline?

Forensic science is facing a persistent crisis that is often addressed by organizational responses, with a strong focus on the improvement and standardisation of means and processes. However, organisations and processes are highly dependent on the political, economical and legal structures in which they operate. This may explain why most proposed solutions had difficulties in addressing the crisis up to now, as they could hardly be applied transversally to all forensic science models. Moreover, new tools and technologies are continuously developed by a quasi-infinite number of different scientific disciplines, thus leading to further diversity and fragmentation of forensic science. In this paper, it is proposed to shift the focus from means to purpose and consider forensic science current challenges in terms of discipline, before addressing organisations’ specific issues. As a distinct discipline, forensic science can refocus research and development on shared principles and purposes, such as reconstructing, monitoring, and preventing crime and security issues. This focus change will facilitate a better understanding of the trace as the object of study of forensic science and eventually lead to a more impactful and long-lasting effect. This approach will also foster the development of a forensic science culture (instead of a primarily technological culture) unified by purpose rather than means through more relevant education and research

Arboreal ants use the "Velcro® principle" to capture very large prey

Plant-ants live in a mutualistic association with host plants known as "myrmecophytes" that provide them with a nesting place and sometimes with extra-floral nectar (EFN) and/or food bodies (FBs); the ants can also attend sap-sucking Hemiptera for their honeydew. In return, plant-ants, like most other arboreal ants, protect their host plants from defoliators. To satisfy their nitrogen requirements, however, some have optimized their ability to capture prey in the restricted environment represented by the crowns of trees by using elaborate hunting techniques. In this study, we investigated the predatory behavior of the ant Azteca andreae which is associated with the myrmecophyte Cecropia obtusa. We noted that up to 8350 ant workers per tree hide side-by-side beneath the leaf margins of their host plant with their mandibles open, waiting for insects to alight. The latter are immediately seized by their extremities, and then spread-eagled; nestmates are recruited to help stretch, carve up and transport prey. This group ambush hunting technique is particularly effective when the underside of the leaves is downy, as is the case for C. obtusa. In this case, the hook-shaped claws of the A. andreae workers and the velvet-like structure of the underside of the leaves combine to act like natural VelcroH that is reinforced by the group ambush strategy of the workers, allowing them to capture prey of up to 13,350 times the mean weight of a single worker

Sylvie Clidière, Alix de Morant. Extérieur danse : essai sur la danse dans l’espace public

Cet ouvrage a le mérite de livrer un état des lieux des pratiques dansées dans l’espace public convoquant les « arts de la rue » et des artistes chorégraphiques activant des œuvres pour l’extérieur sans que ce soit le lieu exclusif d’inscription de leur geste artistique. Les auteurs ne tendent pas à une typologie exhaustive ou à un recensement des pratiques, elles partagent ce qu’elles nomment « notre expérience de spectatrices » dans une perspective phénoménologique. Conjointement elles s’in..

In situ characterisation of dispersion processes of silica in an elastomer matrix under shear, impact of a filler treatment

International audienceThe dispersion of a filler immersed in a polymer flow submitted to shear is the result of the counterbalance between hydrodynamic forces acting on the agglomerate and its cohesive forces. The nature of the filler, its surface treatment or its degree of infiltration by the polymer should impact its cohesivity. To better understand the influence of these parameters on dispersion, direct observations of dispersion mechanisms under shear were carried out on raw silica, silica treated with a covering agent and fully infiltrated silica agglomerates. Dispersion mechanisms and critical stresses for dispersion were determined and found to be different in those three cases

Myriam Gourfink : danser sa créature ; Danser sa vie : art et danse de 1900 à nos jours ; Feminine Futures : Valentine de Saint-Point : performance, danse, guerre, politique et érotisme

L’actualité est marquée par un intérêt pour le champ chorégraphique et pour le corps en mouvement. L’exposition Danser sa vie au Centre Pompidou –commissaires : Christine Macel et Emma Lavigne– et la biennale PERFORMA09 de New York –commissaire : Adrien Sina– en témoignent. La première fait converger les arts autour de la danse, de 1900 à nos jours, tandis que la seconde expose la place importante du corps en mouvement dans l’éveil de la modernité. Le titre choisi à Paris, Danser sa vie, repr..