Comparatives Combined with Scalar Particles: The Case of Chinese HAI

This paper investigates the syntax and semantics of the scalar particle HAI combined with Chinese bi comparatives. Several empirical facts are presented and discussed. First of all, two syntactic positions of HAI are identified: syntactically, the scalar particle HAI can either precede the comparative standard (HAIhigh) or follow it (HAIlow) in the Chinese bi comparative. Second, HAIlow leads to a positive inference while HAIhigh does not. Third, although many focus particles may appear in the position of HAIhigh, they are categorically banned from the position of HAIlow. Finally, HAIhigh conveys that the assertive content contravenes the speaker’s expectation. The core proposal made in this paper is the following. Syntactically, HAIhigh is an adjunct adjoined to the degree phrase while HAIlow occupies the degree head. Semantically, the scalar HAI involves two core ingredients: a scale and some presuppositional conditions based on the type of the scale. In particular, HAIhigh employs the scale of likelihood (similar to English even) and presupposes that the prejacent p is less likely than its alternative ¬p: the negation of the prejacent. By contrast, HAIlow takes the scale provided by gradable predicates and presupposes that both the comparative target and the comparative standard are ordered above the contextual standard of the scale. Finally, it is proposed that the semantics of the scalar HAI is constrained by its syntactic position: while HAIhigh operates on the domain of propositions based on the scale of likelihood, HAIlow on the domain of degrees based on the dimension of gradable predicates

Smoothed Boundary Method for Solving Partial Differential Equations with General Boundary Conditions on Complex Boundaries

In this article, we describe an approach for solving partial differential equations with general boundary conditions imposed on arbitrarily shaped boundaries. A function that has a prescribed value on the domain in which a differential equation is valid and smoothly but rapidly varying values on the boundary where boundary conditions are imposed is used to modify the original differential equations. The mathematical derivations are straight forward, and generically applicable to a wide variety of partial differential equations. To demonstrate the general applicability of the approach, we provide four examples: (1) the diffusion equation with both Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions, (2) the diffusion equation with surface diffusion, (3) the mechanical equilibrium equation, and (4) the equation for phase transformation with additional boundaries. The solutions for a few of these cases are validated against corresponding analytical and semi-analytical solutions. The potential of the approach is demonstrated with five applications: surface-reaction diffusion kinetics with a complex geometry, Kirkendall-effect-induced deformation, thermal stress in a complex geometry, phase transformations affected by substrate surfaces, and a self-propelling droplet.Comment: A better smooth algorithm has been developed and tested, will soon replace Eq. 58 in page 16. We have also developed a level-set moving boundary SBM method, and it will replace the Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard type domain parameter tracking method in Section 5.

An Economy-wide Analysis of Impacts of WTO Tiered Formula for Tariff Reduction on Taiwan

In this study we use Taiwan as a case study to provide an economy-wide analysis of impacts on Taiwan of WTO tariff reduction schemes with different combinations of thresholds and reduction rates. The model we utilized in this study is Taiwan General Equilibrium Model with a WTO module (TAIGEM-WTO, hereafter) that is a multi-sectoral computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the Taiwan's economy derived from Australian ORANI model (Dixon, Parmenter, Sutton and Vincent, 1982). Simulation results show that results are more sensitive to the scheme of tariff-reduction (i.e., Category 1, 2, and 3) than the tiered levels (i.e., A, B, C, and D) and as a strategy we should pay more attention to the arguments related to the amounts of tariff-reduction. Moreover, changes in nominal average tariff rates are more sensitive and shocks to the economy are more severe when we change the tariff reduction categories rather than the tiered levels. This conclusion also applies to the tiered reduction case when only sensitive products are considered. Finally, simulations with sector's bound rate calculated using arithmetic means have bigger effects than those using import values as weights. Therefore, sector's bound rate using import values as weights would be preferred.International Relations/Trade,

Mechanism of thermal field and electric field in resistive random access memory using the high/low-k side wall structure

In the Internet of things (IoT) era, low power consumption memory will be a critical issue for further device development. Among many kinds of next-generation memories, resistive random access memory (RRAM) is considered as having the most potential due to its high performance. To prevent unrecoverable hard break-down of a RRAM device, the RRAM should be collocated with a transistor for external current compliance. With decreasing device cell size, however, the operating voltage of the transistor will become smaller and smaller. Previous study has determined that the forming voltage of RRAM increases when device cell size is reduced, which is a very crucial issue especially when the device is scaled down. We have proposed a high-k sidewall spacer structure in RRAM to solve the dilemma of increasing forming voltages for device cell scaling down. Based on the COMSOL-simulated electrical field distributions in the high-k RRAM. In addition, thermal conductivity of sidewall spacer influenced resistive switching behavior. Suitable thermal conductivity of sidewall materials can enhance resistive switching behavior. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Structural and Thermodynamic Factors of Suppressed Interdiffusion Kinetics in Multi-component High-entropy Materials

We report multi-component high-entropy materials as extraordinarily robust diffusion barriers and clarify the highly suppressed interdiffusion kinetics in the multi-component materials from structural and thermodynamic perspectives. The failures of six alloy barriers with different numbers of elements, from unitary Ti to senary TiTaCrZrAlRu, against the interdiffusion of Cu and Si were characterized, and experimental results indicated that, with more elements incorporated, the failure temperature of the barriers increased from 550 to 900°C. The activation energy of Cu diffusion through the alloy barriers was determined to increase from 110 to 163 kJ/mole. Mechanistic analyses suggest that, structurally, severe lattice distortion strains and a high packing density caused by different atom sizes, and, thermodynamically, a strengthened cohesion provide a total increase of 55 kJ/mole in the activation energy of substitutional Cu diffusion, and are believed to be the dominant factors of suppressed interdiffusion kinetics through the multi-component barrier materials