Migrant and non-migrant domestic workers in Hanoi: the segmentation of domestic service

Nguyen M. Migrants and Non-migrant Domestic Workers in Hanoi. The Segmentation of Domestic Service. DEV Working Paper Series. Vol 22. Norwich: School of International Development, UEA; 2010

THE YIELD CURVE AS A LEADING INDICATOR ACROSS COUNTRIES AND TIME: THE EUROPEAN CASE

With the increasing demand for a better understanding about the relationship between yield curve and economic activities, this paper analyzes the data sets of seven countries in the European Union: Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Poland using quantitative analytical method. Based on previous literature, the expected hypothesis is: there is a strong relationship between the yield curve and the chance of an incoming economic contraction. The inverted yield curve, or the negative yield curve spread is considered as the tool to forecast the incoming contraction. Having been used as a rule of thumb for future reference of a contraction, whether yield curve and interest rates can be an accurate tool to predict the movement of business cycles should be studied more thoroughly, which will help not only the governments to reduce the loss from recession, but also equip financial sector valuable information to adjust itself before a contraction takes place. Further findings in this paper present a comparison between a group of Eurozone members and a group of non-Eurozone members. The similarities and differences give a broad idea of how the creation of the Eurozone has affected the area in the last decade

Enhanced thermoelectric figure of merit in vertical graphene junctions

In this work, we investigate thermoelectric properties of junctions consisting of two partially overlapped graphene sheets coupled to each other in the cross-plane direction. It is shown that because of the weak van-der Waals interactions between graphene layers, the phonon conductance in these junctions is strongly reduced, compared to that of single graphene layer structures, while their electrical performance is weakly affected. By exploiting this effect, we demonstrate that the thermoelectric figure of merit can reach values higher than 1 at room temperature in junctions made of gapped graphene materials, for instance, graphene nanoribbons and graphene nanomeshes. The dependence of thermoelectric properties on the junction length is also discussed. This theoretical study hence suggests an efficient way to enhance thermoelectric efficiency of graphene devices.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitte

The impact of NRZ data asymmetry on the performance of a space telemetry system

The telemetry data asymmetry due to rising and falling voltage transitions can cause undesired spectral components at the output of a spacecraft transmitter. The performance of a space telemetry system can potentially degrade because of these undesired components. Here, an expression is derived for the power spectral density of an asymmetric nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) data stream. This formula is then used to investigate how the data bandwidth varies with data asymmetry. At the receiver end, the threshold levels of undesired spectral components that fall into the carrier-tracking-loop bandwidth are determined by examining the derived spectral density. Further, based on this formula, a simple technique is developed for the computation of bit signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation due to data asymmetry. The telemetry bit SNR degradations derived using this technique are compared with results obtained previously and with measurements by the Electronic Systems Test Laboratory (ESTL) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Recent advances in our understanding of the structure and function of more unusual cation channels.

As their name implies, cation channels allow the regulated flow of cations such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium across cellular and intracellular membranes. Cation channels have long been known for their fundamental roles in controlling membrane potential and excitability in neurons and muscle. In this review, we provide an update on the recent advances in our understanding of the structure-function relationship and the physiological and pathophysiological role of cation channels. The most exciting developments in the last two years, in our opinion, have been the insights that cryoelectron microscopy has provided into the inner life and the gating of not only voltage-gated channels but also mechanosensitive and calcium- or sodium-activated channels. The mechanosensitive Piezo channels especially have delighted the field not only with a fascinating new type of structure but with important roles in blood pressure regulation and lung function

Mangetic phase transition for three-dimensional Heisenberg weak random anisotropy model: Monte Carlo study

Magnetic phase transition (MPT) to magnetic quasi-long-range order (QLRO) phase in a three-dimensional Heisenberg weak (D/J=4) random anisotropy (RA) model is investigated by Monte Carlo simulation. The isotropic and cubic distributions of RA axes are considered for simple-cubic-lattice systems. Finite-size scaling analysis shows that the critical couplings for the former and latter are K_c= 0.70435(2) and K_c=0.70998(4), respectively. While the critical exponent 1/\nu =1.40824(0) is the same for both cases. A second-order MPT to the QLRO phase is therefore evidenced to be possible in favor with the existence of the QLRO predicted by recent functional renormalization group theories.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. to be appeared in Journal of Applied Physics Volume 105 Issue 7 on April 1, 200

Thermal conductivity of InAs/GaSb superlattice

The cross-plane thermal conductivity of a type II InAs/GaSb superlattice (T2SL) is measured from 13 K to 300 K using the 3{\omega} method. Thermal conductivity is reduced by up to 2 orders of magnitude relative to the GaSb bulk substrate. The low thermal conductivity of around 1-8 W/m\cdotK may serve as an advantage for thermoelectric applications at low temperatures, while presenting a challenge for T2SL quantum cascade lasers and high power light emitting diodes. We introduce a power-law approximation to model non-linearities in the thermal conductivity, resulting in increased or decreased peak temperature for negative or positive exponents, respectively.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure