6,430 research outputs found
The Effects of Overseas Investment on Domestic Employment
In this paper, we study the effects of FDI on domestic employment by examining the data of Taiwan's manufacturing industry. Treating domestic production and overseas production as two distinctive outputs from a joint production function, we may estimate the effect of overseas production on the demand for domestic labor. We found that overseas production generally reduces the demand for domestic labor as overseas products serve as a substitute for primary inputs in domestic production (substitution effect). But overseas production also allows the investor to expand its domestic output through enhanced competitiveness. The expanded domestic output leads to more employment at home (output effect). The net effect of FDI on domestic employment is a combination of substitution and output effects. For Taiwan, the net effect is positive in most cases but it differs across the labor group. Technical workers tend to benefit most from FDI, followed by managerial workers, and blue-collar workers benefit the least; indeed they may even be adversely affected. This suggests that after FDI, a reconfiguration of division of labor within a firm tend to shift the domestic production toward technology and management intensive operations.
Creep fatigue life assessment of a pipe intersection with dissimilar material joint by linear matching method
As the energy demand increases the power industry has to enhance both efficiency and environmental sustainability of power plants by increasing the operating temperature. The accurate creep fatigue life assessment is important for the safe operation and design of current and future power plant stations. This paper proposes a practical creep fatigue life assessment case of study by the Linear Matching Method (LMM) framework. The LMM for extended Direct Steady Cycle Analysis (eDSCA) has been adopted to calculate the creep fatigue responses due to the cyclic loading under high temperature conditions. A pipe intersection with dissimilar material joint, subjected to high cycling temperature and constant pressure steam, is used as an example. The closed end condition is considered at both ends of main and branch pipes. The impact of the material mismatch, transitional thermal load, and creep dwell on the failure mechanism and location within the intersection is investigated. All the results demonstrate the capability of the method, and how a direct method is able to support engineers in the assessment and design of high temperature component in a complex loading scenario
Boron Nitride Nanosheets for Metal Protection
Although the high impermeability of graphene makes it an excellent barrier to
inhibit metal oxidation and corrosion, graphene can form a galvanic cell with
the underlying metal that promotes corrosion of the metal in the long term.
Boron nitride (BN) nanosheets which have a similar impermeability could be a
better choice as protective barrier, because they are more thermally and
chemically stable than graphene and, more importantly, do not cause galvanic
corrosion due to their electrical insulation. In this study, the performance of
commercially available BN nanosheets grown by chemical vapor deposition as a
protective coating on metal has been investigated. The heating of the copper
foil covered with the BN nanosheet at 250 {\deg}C in air over 100 h results in
dramatically less oxidation than the bare copper foil heated for 2 h under the
same conditions. The electrochemical analyses reveal that the BN nanosheet
coating can increase open circuit potential and possibly reduce oxidation of
the underlying copper foil in sodium chloride solution. These results indicate
that BN nanosheets are a good candidate for oxidation and corrosion protection,
although conductive atomic force microscopy analyses show that the
effectiveness of the protection relies on the quality of BN nanosheets.Comment: With Supporting Informatio
Atomically Thin Boron Nitride: Unique Properties and Applications
Atomically thin boron nitride (BN) is an important two-dimensional (2D)
nanomaterial, with many properties distinct from graphene. In this feature
article, these unique properties and associated applications often not possible
from graphene are outlined. The article starts with characterization and
identification of atomically thin BN. It is followed by demonstrating their
strong oxidation resistance at high temperatures and applications in protecting
metals from oxidation and corrosion. As flat insulators, BN nanosheets are
ideal dielectric substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and
electronic devices based on 2D heterostructures. The light emission of BN
nanosheets in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) and ultraviolet (UV) regions are also
included for its scientific and technological importance. The last part is
dedicated to synthesis, characterization, and optical properties of BN
nanoribbons, a special form of nanosheets
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