Does social capital reduce entrepreneurs' petty corruption? Evidence across Indonesian regions

Petty corruption is a barrier to entrepreneurship in emerging countries, justifying to investigate its determinants. Using data on 1,240 entrepreneurs across Indonesian regions, we analyse the effects of social capital. Two-evel ordered probit regressions show that weak-ties discourage entrepreneurs' bribing, strong-ties encourage it, whereas this latter effect is moderated by the quality of access to formal credit. Bribing banks or turning to relatives for external funding are alternative solutions for entrepreneurs facing poor access to formal credit, a common feature in emerging countries, and the second solution is preferred given the risk and psychological costs of corruption.     

Microwave synthesis of large few-layer graphene sheets in aqueous solution of ammonia

Few-layer graphene (FLG) sheets with sizes exceeding several micrometers have been synthesized by exfoliation of expanded graphite in aqueous solution of ammonia under microwave irradiation, with an overall yield approaching 8 wt.%. Transmission electron microscopy (in bright-field and dark-field modes) together with electron diffraction patterns and atomic force microscopy confirmed that this graphene material consisted mostly of mono-, bi- or few-layer graphene (less than ten layers). The high degree of surface reduction was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopies. In addition, the high stability of the FLG in the liquid medium facilitates the deposition of the graphene material onto several substrates via low-cost solution-phase processing techniques, opening the way to subsequent applications of the material.      

Functionalization of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes with cationic amphiphiles for plasmid DNA complexation and transfection

The possibility of delivering DNA efficiently to cells represents a crucial issue for the treatment of both genetic and acquired diseases. However, even although the efficiency of non-viral transfection systems has improved in the last decade, none have yet proven to be sufficiently effective in vivo. We report herein our results on the functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) by two cationic amphiphiles (lipid RPR120535 and pyrenyl polyamine), their use for the complexation of plasmid DNA, and their efficiency in transfecting cells in vitro. The experiments have shown that the efficiency of transfection is higher when using SWNT instead of MWNT, and that transfection efficiency is similar or slightly higher when using nanoplexes (SWNT/lipid RPR120535/DNA) instead of lipoplexes (lipid RPR120535/DNA) and several orders of magnitude higher than that of naked DNA. This study therefore shows both that the transfection is better when using SWNTs and that it is dependent on the nature of the amphiphilic molecules adsorbed on the nanotubes.      

Porous protein-based scaffolds prepared through freezing as potential scaffolds for tissue engineering

Successful tissue engineering with the aid of a polymer scaffold offers the possibility to produce a larger construct and to mould the shape after the defect. We investigated the use of cryogelation to form protein-based scaffolds through different types of formation mechanisms; enzymatic crosslinking, chemical crosslinking, and non-covalent interactions. Casein was found to best suited for enzymatic crosslinking, gelatin for chemical crosslinking, and ovalbumin for non-covalent interactions. Fibroblasts and myoblasts were used to evaluate the cryogels for tissue engineering purposes. The stability of the cryogels over time in culture differed depending on formation mechanism. Casein cryogels showed best potential to be used in skeletal tissue engineering, whereas gelatin cryogels would be more suitable for compliable soft tissues even though it also seemed to support a myogenic phenotype. Ovalbumin cryogels would be better suited for elastic tissues with faster regeneration properties due to its faster degradation time. Overall, the cryogelation technique offers a fast, cheap and reproducible way of creating porous scaffolds from proteins without the use of toxic compounds.     

Relative quantification of proteins in human cerebrospinal fluids by MS/MS using 6-plex isobaric tags

A new 6-plex isobaric mass tagging technology is presented, and proof of principle studies are carried out using standard protein mixtures and human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. The Tandem Mass Tags (TMT) comprise a set of structurally identical tags which label peptides on free amino-terminus and epsilon-amino functions of lysine residues. During MS/MS fragmentation, quantification information is obtained through the losses of the reporter ions. After evaluation of the relative quantification with the 6-plex version of the TMT on a model protein mixture at various concentrations, the quantification of proteins in CSF samples was performed using shotgun methods. Human postmortem (PM) CSF was taken as a model of massive brain injury and comparison was carried out with antemortem (AM) CSF. After immunoaffinity depletion, triplicates of AM and PM CSF pooled samples were reduced, alkylated, digested by trypsin, and labeled, respectively, with the six isobaric variants of the TMT (with reporter ions from m/z = 126.1 to 131.1 Th). The samples were pooled and fractionated by SCX chromatography. After RP-LC separation, peptides were identified and quantified by MS/MS analysis with MALDI TOF/TOF and ESI-Q-TOF. The concentration of 78 identified proteins was shown to be clearly increased in PM CSF samples compared to AM. Some of these proteins, like GFAP, protein S100B, and PARK7, have been previously described as brain damage biomarkers, supporting the PM CSF as a valid model of brain insult. ELISA for these proteins confirmed their elevated concentration in PM CSF. This work demonstrates the validity and robustness of the tandem mass tag (TMT) approach for quantitative MS-based proteomics.     

Pr-doped ZBLA fluoride glasses for visible laser emission

Praseodymium doped Fluoride glasses were studied in order to fabricate compact solid state laser sources emitting in the visible range for lighting application and for quantum information processing. The objective of this study is focused on red, green and orange emissions. ZBLA bulk glasses (57%ZrF₄ - 34%BaF₂ - (5 − x)%LaF₃ - 4%AlF₃ - x%PrF₃) have been synthesized under dry argon atmosphere. Physicochemical and optical properties such as density, glass transition temperature, composition, transmission and refractive index have been investigated. Spectroscopic studies have been performed to optimize the rare earth doping level in order to reach the best compromise respecting a good optical quality, a highest lifetime and efficient emission intensity at 635, 605 and 520 nm. Spectroscopic measurements have been carried out on bulk samples with Pr³⁺ concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 3 mol% and first characterizations of ion exchanged Pr: ZBLA waveguides are reported.     

Production and Corrosion Resistance of Thermally Sprayed Fe-Based Amorphous Coatings from Mechanically Milled Feedstock Powders

Mechanically milled FeCrNbB feedstock powders from commercial precursors were used to produce amorphous coatings through two different industrial thermal-spraying techniques: high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) and flame spraying. Microstructure, thermal behavior, and hardness of the coatings and their corrosion resistances in acidic and alkaline chloride-rich media were comparatively studied. HVOF process was effective to produce ~ 200-µm-thick highly amorphous coatings with hardness over than 700 HV_0.3 and low porosity (~ 5 pct). Flame-sprayed ~ 220-µm-thick coatings were nanocrystalline, composed of α-Fe, Fe₂B, FeNbB, and Fe₂O₃ phases and presented hardness of 564 HV_0.3 and ~ 10 pct porosity. Electrochemical measurements indicated that HVOF coatings exhibit higher corrosion resistance than flame-sprayed ones thanks to the higher amorphous content and lower porosity resulting from the former processing route. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results demonstrated that amorphous HVOF Fe₆₀Cr₈Nb₈B₂₄ (at. pct) coatings are interesting to protect mild steels such as the API 5L X80 against corrosion in chloride-rich environments.

     

Liquid crystal crown ether derived from cyclic tetramer of epichlorohydrin

Summary A liquid crystal crown ether is obtained by chemical modification of the cyclic tetramer derived from epichlorohydrin with sodium 4-cyano-4′-biphenoxide. The crown ether exhibits a nematic mesophase and a high glass transition temperature.     

Allelochemicals of Pinus halepensis as Drivers of Biodiversity in Mediterranean Open Mosaic Habitats During the Colonization Stage of Secondary Succession

The Mediterranean region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. However, over the last 50 years or so, the cessation of traditional farming has given way to strong afforestation at the expense of open habitats. Pinus halepensis Miller, known to synthesize a wide range of secondary metabolites, is a pioneer expansionist species colonizing abandoned agricultural land that present high species richness. Here, laboratory bioassays were used to study the potential impact of P. halepensis on plant diversity through allelopathy, and the role of microorganisms in these interactions. Germination and growth of 12 target species naturally present in fallow farmlands were tested according to concentration of aqueous extracts obtained from shoots of young pines (aged about 5 years), with or without the presence of soil microorganisms (autoclaved or natural soil). Under the highest concentrations and autoclaved soil, more than 80 % of target species were germination and/or growth-inhibited, and only two species were non-sensitive. Under more natural conditions (lower extracts concentrations and natural soil with microorganisms), only 50 % of species were still inhibited, one was non-sensitive, and five were stimulated. Thus, microorganisms alter the expression of allelochemicals released into the ecosystem, which highlights their key role in chemical plant-plant interactions. The results of allelopathic experiments conducted in the lab are consistent with the community patterns observed in the field. These findings suggest that allelopathy is likely to shape vegetation composition and participate to the control of biodiversity in Mediterranean open mosaic habitats.     

Mobility and glass transition temperature of polymer nanospheres

Recent studies have illustrated a decoupling between cooperative segmental mobility and the glass transition temperature (T_g) of thin polymer films and nanocomposites. Here, we use dielectric spectroscopy to probe the cooperative segmental mobility and capacitive dilatometry to determine the T_g of films of polystyrene nanospheres with diameters (d) less than 400 nm. We find that both capacitive dilatometry and calorimetry revealed nearly identical suppressions in T_g as the size of the nanospheres was reduced. While T_g was impacted by confinement, in the range 130 nm ≤ d ≤ 400 nm, in stark contrast, the cooperative segmental mobility, i.e., the peak position of the α-relaxation process was not. Furthermore, when d ≤ 200 nm, an additional molecular relaxation process, not observed in bulk, was present. We interpret these findings as evidence of a decoupling between T_g and cooperative segmental mobility in nanospheres. That is, the latter may be impacted by confinement under conditions in which the former is not.