Simulation study of the impact of quantum confinement on the electrostatically driven oerformance of n-type nanowire transistors

In this paper, we have studied the impact of quantum confinement on the performance of n-type silicon nanowire transistors (NWTs) for application in advanced CMOS technologies. The 3-D drift-diffusion simulations based on the density gradient approach that has been calibrated with respect to the solution of the Schrödinger equation in 2-D cross sections along the direction of the transport are presented. The simulated NWTs have cross sections and dimensional characteristics representative of the transistors expected at a 7-nm CMOS technology. Different gate lengths, cross-sectional shapes, spacer thicknesses, and doping steepness were considered. We have studied the impact of the quantum corrections on the gate capacitance, mobile charge in the channel, drain-induced barrier lowering, and subthreshold slope. The mobile charge to gate capacitance ratio, which is an indicator of the intrinsic speed of the NWTs, is also investigated. We have also estimated the optimal gate length for different NWT design conditions

Do Public-Private Partnerships Improve the Operational Efficiency of Infrastructure in Mainland China?

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are widely used to achieve sustainable infrastructure provision. The purpose of this research is to monitor the effects of PPPs in practice. This study calculated the operational efficiency of toll roads in Mainland China and examined the effect of the transformation from government operations to concession on their operational efficiency. The results showed that toll road operations were inefficient in terms of cost savings and that there were significant regional differences in the impact of concession on operational efficiency among three regions. Concession played a positive role in improving the operational efficiency in the eastern region; on the contrary, the influence was significantly negative in the western region. The effect on the central region was not significant. The results indicated that the efficiency advantages of concession were not given full play. The governments of economies in transition should pay more attention to the implementation environment of PPPs to make infrastructure operations more sustainable

Towards an integrated approach for land spatial ecological restoration zoning based on ecosystem health assessment

Mitigating ecosystem degradation has been a worldwide strategy, and China has been implementing land spatial ecological restoration for an all-around ecological preservation in recent years. A comprehensive diagnosis of the ecosystem health status and an effective division of spatial zoning are essential to formulating and implementing ecological restoration strategies at the regional scale. Here, the ecosystem health index (EHI) was computed for the years 2010 and 2020 using the vigor-organization-resilience model. Then, a three-step statistic-based, spatial continuity-based, and practice-based (SSP) zoning framework was developed to classify land spatial ecological restoration zones with the consideration of ecosystem health status, spatial relation, and local practices. We applied the integrated zoning approach using the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of Yangtze River (UAMRYR) in China as the study area. The results showed that: (1) the EHI had a slight decreasing trend from 2010 to 2020, with a spatial distribution pattern of healthy, unhealthy, and to healthy from the center to the periphery in the UAMRYR. (2) Eight land spatial ecological restoration zones were designated and adjusted through the SSP zoning framwork to be space-full and practical. Zone VIII accounted for the largest proportion (41.12%), followed by the Zone Ⅰ (21.57%). (3) Finally, corresponding land spatial ecological restoration strategies were proposed for each zone. This study contributes to land spatial ecological restoration zoning and differentiated restoration strategies in the UAMRYR, shedding light on restoration regulation and Sustainable Development Goals achievement in China and global regions with complicated environmental problems

The antecedents and consequences of being envied by coworkers: An investigation from the victim perspective

This study focused on the victims of coworker envy and presented a comprehensive model of being envied by coworkers to explore its antecedents and consequences in the hospitality context. Based on a sample of 232 employee-supervisor dyads in five Chinese hotels, we found that competitive goal interdependence fostered coworker envy, whereas cooperative goal interdependence prevented it. Further, the experience of being envied by coworkers undermined the frontline hospitality employees' social exchange relationship with coworkers. This in turn prevented them from engaging in organizational citizenship behavior directed at their organizations (OCBO) and specific individuals (OCBI) such as organization members. In addition, envied employees' others' approval of the contingent self-esteem was found to strengthen (1) the direct effect of being envied by coworkers on coworker exchange and (2) the indirect effect of being envied by coworkers on OCBO and OCBI via coworker exchange

Fuel the service fire The effect of leader humor on frontline hospitality employees' service performance and proactive customer service performance

Purpose Drawing from self-determination theory, this study aims to examine the effect of leader humor on frontline hospitality employees' service performance and proactive customer service performance (PCSP) via harmonious passion (HP) for work with employee neuroticism as the moderating mechanism. Design/methodology/approach This study controlled for the nested effect and tested all the hypotheses with Mplus 7.0 using a time-lagged three-wave survey of 232 Chinese supervisor-subordinate dyads. Findings The results indicated that leader humor promotes frontline hospitality employees' service performance and PCSP by enhancing their HP. Furthermore, neuroticism was shown to strengthen the direct impact of leader humor on employee HP and its indirect impact on employee service performance and employee PCSP through HP. Originality/value First, this research contributes to the leader humor literature through exploring its impact on the service performance and PCSP of frontline hospitality employees. Second, this research develops a new framework to explain the leader humor-employee service outcomes relationship using self-determination theory. Finally, the focus on the moderating role of neuroticism helps to explain the "when" question of leader humor

A polyphosphoramide-grafted lignin enabled thermostable and fire-retardant polylactide with preserved mechanical properties

It has been desirable to create biodegradable polymer materials that are thermally stable, flame- retardant and mechanically robust. One promising strategy is to develop fire retardant polylactide (PLA) using lignin as inexpensive fillers, but existing functionalized lignin cannot improve the thermal stability of PLA, in addition to unsatisfactory fire retardancy. Herein, we report a lignin-derived fire retardant (LF) by grafting polyphosphoramide into the chemical structure of lignin waste through graft polymerization. The results show that with 8 wt% of LF, the final PLA shows significantly enhanced thermal stability in N2. Moreover, the resulting PLA achieves a satisfactory UL-94 V-0 rating, meeting the demanding requirement of fire retardancy in industries. Additionally, the PLA/LF composite displays increased elastic modulus and well-preserved strength and ductility of pure PLA. This work provides an effective strategy for creating biobased fire retardant additives using industrial lignin waste, and PLA biocomposites which hold great promise for packaging, fabrics, electronic, and automotive applications