Molecular fingerprinting with femtosecond lasers

Molecular fingerprinting through absorption spectroscopy is a powerful analytical method. Wide spectral ranges are explored with Doppler-limited resolution. Fast data acquisition, accurate measurements of frequency, intensity, and line shape; time-resolved, selective spectra are achieved with excellent sensitivities. However, presently spectrometers are unable to provide all these features at once

Une approche historique du développement comparé : Acemoglu, Johnson, Robinson (AJR) et Jared Diamond sont-ils complémentaires ?

Etudes & documentsIn this paper we provide empirical evidence of the complementarities between the geographical approach of Diamond (1997) and the institutional approach of Acemoglu et al. (2002) to explain gaps in economic performance worldwide since 11, 000 BC until today. While the biogeographical endowments of Diamond are suitable to explain development paths until 1500 AD, the reversal of fortune of Acemoglu et al. (2002) is able to explain gaps in economic performance since 1500 AD. Those results display the positive impact of institutional framework on economic development, and focus on the complementary of two different fields of literature on long-run development

Evaluating Treatment Effect and Causal Effect of Fiscal Rules on Procyclicality New assessments on old debate: rules vs. discretion

This article is the first to renews the old debate of "rules versus. discretion" by introducing propensity score matching methods in macro analysis, such as Tapsoba (2012), and by using instrumental methods, to consider the national stability culture. By taking into account, at the same time, the self-selection problem and the omitted unobserved factor bias, in a sample of 126 countries of all level of development over the period 1985-2010, we provide strong evidence about the positive causal effect of fiscal rules adoption on the reduction of fiscal policy procyclicality. We find an asymmetrical impact, since fiscal rules adoption contributed to upgrade budget balance in periods of expansion, while it doesn't increase budget deficit in periods of recession. Furthermore, we show that the budget balance rules and the debt rules are more effective to dampen procyclicality than expenditure rules. We also provide evidence that the coverage of fiscal rules is not a critical issue to strength against procyclicality. Empirical results also displays the positive impact of the adoption of flexible rules, but also the adoption of fiscal rules combined to improve policy responsiveness. Finally, we find that FRs are effective when taking into account the national stability culture. This positive impact of fiscal rules adoption on fiscal policy cyclicality comes from an improvement of fiscal policy disciplinary, by ensuring a sustainable path of deficit and debt, or by smoothing business cycles

Timing of maternal exposure and fetal sex determine the effects of low-level chemical mixture exposure on the fetal neuroendocrine system in sheep

We have shown that continuous maternal exposure to the complex mixture of environmental chemicals (ECs) found in human biosolids (sewage sludge), disrupts mRNA expression of genes crucial for development and long-term regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal (HPG) function in sheep. This study investigated whether exposure to ECs only during preconceptional period or only during pregnancy perturbed key regulatory genes within the hypothalamus and pituitary gland and whether these effects were different from chronic (life-long) exposure to biosolid ECs. The findings demonstrate that the timing and duration of maternal EC exposure influences the subsequent effects on the fetal neuroendocrine system in a sex-specific manner. Maternal exposure prior to conception or during pregnancy only, altered the expression of key fetal neuroendocrine regulatory systems such as GnRH and kisspeptin to a greater extent than when maternal exposure was ‘life-long’. Furthermore, hypothalamic gene expression was affected to a greater extent in males than in females, and following EC exposure, male fetuses expressed more “female-like” mRNA levels for some key neuroendocrine genes. This is the first study to show that “real-life” maternal exposure to low levels of a complex cocktail of chemicals prior to conception can subsequently affect the developing fetal neuroendocrine system. These findings demonstrate that the developing neuroendocrine system is sensitive to EC mixtures in a sex-dimorphic manner likely to predispose to reproductive dysfunction in later life

Political Budget Cycles: Manipulation from Leaders or Manipulation from Researchers? Evidence from a Meta-Regression Analysis

Despite a long history of research on political budget cycles, their existence and magnitude are still in question. By conducting a systematic analysis of the existing literature we intend to clarify the debate. Based on data collected from over 1; 700 regressions and 57 studies, our meta-analysis suggests that leaders do manipulate fiscal tools in order to be re-elected but to an extent that is significantly exaggerated by scholars. However, we show the incumbents' strategy differs depending on which tools they leverage. Finally, we discuss in further details how authors' methodological choices and country institutions affect political budget cycles

Forms of Democracies and Financial Development

Etudes & documentsThe political economy of finance literature emphasizes the critical role of political institutions in promoting financial development. Related empirical findings highlight a robust positive effect of democratic regimes on financial development compared to dictatorships. However, no study focused so far on identifying the precise political institutions explaining the financial development enhancing effect of democracies. In this paper, we study the effects of disaggregated political institutions on financial development along three institutional dimensions, namely forms of government, electoral rules and state forms. Using a large panel of 140 countries over 1984-2007, we show that institutional details are of crucial importance, since the positive effect of democracies on financial development clearly depends on the precise institutional dimensions at work, namely: parliamentary governments and, to a lesser extent federal states. Thus, our study contributes to the institutional design debate, by showing that the simple promotion of democratic regimes might not be sufficient to foster financial development

Broadly, independent-tunable, dual-wavelength mid-infrared ultrafast optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate a two-crystal mid-infrared dual-wavelength optical parametric oscillator, synchronously pumped by a high power femtosecond Yb:fiber laser. The singly-resonant ring cavity, containing two periodically poled lithium niobate crystals, is capable of generating two synchronized idler wavelengths, independently tunable over 30 THz in the 2.9 - 4.2 {\mu}m wavelength region, due to the cascaded quadratic nonlinear effect. The independent tunability of the two idlers makes the optical parametric oscillator a promising source for ultrafast pulse generation towards the THz wavelength region, based on different frequency generation. In addition, the observed frequency doubled idler within the crystal indicates the possibility to realize a broadband optical self-phase locking between pump, signal, idler and higher order generated parametric lights