THE LAW AND ECONOMICS OF REGULATING RATINGS FIRMS

Consumers and producers frequently rely on product ratings,such as college rankings, restaurant reviews, and bond ratings.While much has been written about the structure of ratings inparticular industries, little has been written on the generalstructure of different ratings industries and whether governmentintervention is typically needed. This paper begins that inquiryby examining the market structure of different ratings industries,and considering the circumstances under which firms that provideratings should be regulated. We find that most ratings firmsoperate in highly concentrated markets. We also find that mostratings firms determine their own testing standards and methods,although some industries have self-governing oversight bodiesthat offer their own accreditation standards. Despite the findingthat many ratings industries are concentrated, our analysissuggests that market forces generally appear to be an effectivemechanism for providing consumers and producers with usefulratings.     

THE EVOLUTION AND THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF CHINESE CONFLICTS LAW FOR TORTS

The legislation of choice-of-law rules for torts has a long history in China. General Principles of the Civil Law of the People＇s Republic of China of 1986 （GPCL）, Maritime Act of the People＇s Republic of China of 1992 （Maritime Act） and Act of the People＇s Republic of China on Civil Aviation of 1995 （Civil Aviation Act）provide respectively the choice-of-law rules for general tort, maritime tort and limitation of liability for maritime claims as well as tort arising out of civil aircraft. The Act of the People＇s Republic of China on the Application of Laws in Foreign-Related Civil Relations of 2010 （PIL-Act） not only brings developments and changes to conflict rules for tort in general, but also provide choice-of-law rules for product liability, infringement of the right of personality via the internet and liability arising from an infringement of intellectual property rights, which marks that Chinese conflicts law has entered into a new developmental stage and taken on several new trends： （1） Chinese conflicts law system for torts has been basically set up; （2） Chinese choice-of-law rules for torts are becoming more and more diversified,＂ （3） the prineiple of party autonomy has been fully introduced to tort liability; and （4） judicial interpretations issued or to be issued by the Supreme People＇s Court will still play an important role in judicial practice.     

THE INTERPLAY OF MORAL NORMS AND INSTRUMENTAL INCENTIVES IN CRIME CAUSATION*

Rational choice theories (RCTs) of crime assume actors behave in an instrumental, outcome-oriented way. Accordingly, individuals should weight the costs and benefits of criminal acts with subjective probabilities that these outcomes will occur. Previous studies either do not directly test this central hypothesis or else yield inconsistent results. We show that a meaningful test can be conducted only if a broader view is adopted that takes into account the interplay of moral norms and instrumental incentives. Such a view can be derived from the Model of Frame Selection (Kroneberg, 2005) and the Situational Action Theory of Crime Causation (Wikström, 2004). Based on these theories, we analyze the willingness to engage in shoplifting and tax fraud in a sample of 2,130 adults from Dresden, Germany. In line with our theoretical expectations, we find that only respondents who do not feel bound by moral norms show the kind of instrumental rationality assumed in RCTs of crime. Where norms have been strongly internalized, and in the absence of neutralizations, instrumental incentives are irrelevant.     

改良磺基水杨酸法显示GC谱带及两个新的GC变异型的发现

本文采用改良了Kühnl报告的磺基水杨酸沉淀法显示GC谱带的技术,显示了六种常见的GC亚型和GC变异型。并且采用该法发现了两个新的GC变异型基因Gc~(1c3)和Gc~(2c7),其基因频率分別为0.0008和0.0004。本法经济、快速,谱带清晰,可取代需抗GC血清的常规免疫固定技术。     

STATE LAW AND THE TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS

This paper presents the findings from a content analysis of state laws authorizing the termination of parental rights. The analysis yielded a taxonomy of termination criteria and it identified those criteria that were most widely adopted by the states. State termination criteria were compared to those listed in the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997. The comparison shows that state laws identify more types of termination criteria than are listed in ASFA. In addition, criteria related to neglect and “parental failure” were often ambiguous and lacked detail. The study identifies possible directions for research on state termination law.     

损伤皮肤中组胺荧光显微定位定量与损伤时间推断的实验研究

本文应用显微荧光分光光度计法研究大白鼠皮肤创缘组织中组胺的分布和含量,并用甲苯胺蓝法观察创缘肥大细胞形态和数量的变化。结果发现,创缘真皮乳头层出现扩散的细胞外黄色荧光和肥大细胞脱颗粒现象为生前伤的重要特点;组胺荧光分布范围及增多的程度与损伤时间密切相关。从而为损伤时间推断提供了一种新的方法。