Heat removal has become an increasingly crucial issue for microelectronic chips due to increasingly high speed and high performance. One solution is to increase the thermal conductivity of the corresponding dielectrics. However, traditional approach to adding solid heat conductive nanoparticles to polymer dielectrics led to a significant weight increase. Here we propose a dielectric polymer filled with heat conductive hollow nanoparticles to mitigate the weight gain. Our mesoscale simulation of heat conduction through this dielectric polymer composite microstructure using the phase-field spectral iterative perturbation method demonstrates the simultaneous achievement of enhanced effective thermal conductivity and the low density. It is shown that additional heat conductivity enhancement can be achieved by wrapping the hollow nanoparticles with graphene layers. The underlying mesoscale mechanism of such a microstructure design and the quantitative effect of interfacial thermal resistance will be discussed. This work is expected to stimulate future efforts to develop light-weight thermal conductive polymer nanocomposites.

We investigate the impact on intertemporal distribution caused by a change of policy from tax to deficit financing of public investment, using a simple theoretical framework which combines the one-period McGuire-Olson economy with the conventional long-run Solow economy. This theoretical framework provides a simple way to highlight some significant interdependencies between private and public investments as well as the negative impact of taxation on aggregate productivity, and to trace some possible transmission mechanisms between deficit financing policies and the long-run path of consumption per head. The main tentative (theoretical) result is that although under fairly acceptable assumptions the likely impact of a deficit financing policy is to benefit the present at the expense of the future, under equally acceptable assumptions concerning the possibility of an excessive macro private saving–investment propensity, and/or of a significant productivity loss due to the excess burden of taxation, the adverse intertemporal distributional impact of deficit financing might become negligible, or even disappear altogether.

This exploratory study aims to identify the main characteristics and relationships between artificial intelligence (AI) and broadband development in Asia and the Pacific. Broadband networks are the foundation and prerequisite for the development of AI. But what types of broadband networks would be conducive are not adequately discussed so far. Furthermore, in addition to broadband networks, other factors, such as income level, broadband quality, and investment, are expected to influence the uptake of AI in the region. The findings are synthesized into a set of policy recommendations at the end of the article, which highlights the need for regional cooperation through an initiative, such as the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS). 

Heavy metal contaminated soil due to industrial, agricultural and municipal activities is becoming a global concern. Heavy metals severely affect plants, animals and human health. A suitable technology is necessary for heavy metals removal because it cannot self-decomposition as organic compounds. Among the various technologies surveyed, phytoremediation is one of the safest, most innovative, environmental friendly and cost-effective approach for heavy metals removal. Nevertheless, traditional phytoremediation practices pose some limitations such as long processing time, unstable treatment efficiency and limited application at large scale. In many methods proposed to improve phytoremediation, integrated phytoremediation has been studied in the recent years. Integrated phytoremediation use chelating agents and phytohormones to enhance phytoremediation. This is an environmentally safe, saving time and relative high effective method. Results showed that the association of a metal ion and a chelating agent to form chelates helps to maintain the availability of metals in the soil for the uptake of plants. Phytohormones supply nutrients for the soil to support vegetable growth. Therefore, integrated phytoremediation is a promising solution to overcome the disadvantages of conventional phytoremediation. It should be taken commercialization and need more applied projects in this field to demonstrate and clarify the real potential of this technology. In view of above, this manuscript reviews the mechanism and the efficiency of integrated phytoremediation for heavy metals in contaminated soil to give an overview of this technology.

Some developmental projects are created by people-private partnerships (PPP), particularly where recovery is acquirable by levying the users. Such PPPs are successful for construction of roads, bridges, running toilet facilities and conveyance facility in mode of use and pay. Likewise, public-scientist partnerships (PSPs) will be successful, where monitored impacts can be used to derive benefit. But such example cases are not so popular in utilizing new research results and derive benefits from natural resources and enhance productivity. There is a demand for similar partnership projects in research area. In this study modality of the PSP to create boost engine for natural resource conservation and bring economic prosperity is established. A novel PSP launch was synthesized on useful food crop viz. finger millet (Elusiane corcona (l)), which has been known since long past, and now is regaining popularity. It was possible to enhance additional annual production of 5.755 million tonnes of finger millet grain, equivalent to additional income of Rs 11,510 crores. Against this the scientist partnership share was 0.49x million tonnes grain and economic equivalency of Rs 992 crores, which was just 7–8%, with same level of input in agriculture. Additional benefits were sustainability of production and resources consecration, reduction of greenhouse gas emission (GHGs), particularly nitrous oxide (N₂O), largely emanating from agriculture and responsible for depletion of ozone layer. The finger millet stiff stem will be useable for production of ply-board filling material that will be innovative building material for housing and infrastructure developments and making furniture.

The study looks into how governance qualities of decentralized governments mediate the impacts of decentralization on development. Based on a set-oriented approach, the study analyzed data from a nation-wide survey conducted with business managers from all provinces in Indonesia, and found evidence that, despite the country’s uniform decentralization reform, individual provinces exhibited great variation in the qualities of their various physical and institutional infrastructures. Notably, these qualities assumed nested relations, with order and security as well as accountability and rule of law seemingly being the preconditions of basic infrastructure provision as well as local governments’ coordination. Moreover, business investment decisions (measured as staff expansion and product innovation) were found to vary with some specific combinations of these infrastructural conditions. The result provides evidence supporting the argument that both physical and institutional infrastructures are instrumental to realize the supposed benefits of decentralization and supports the recent call of the literature to look into the political-institutional complex in the process of decentralization reform.