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The collocation-based stochastic response surface method (CSRSM) is widely used in geotechnical reliability analyses due to its efficiency and accuracy. Determining the optimal truncated order of the associated polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) is important, as it may strongly affect the practical applicability of CSRSM.

This study investigates the performance of different optimal order selection strategies used in the CSRSM and proposes a new cross-order validation method. First, several methods commonly used for optimal order selection are briefly reviewed, and their merits and limitations for reliability analyses are discussed. Then, an improved optimal order selection method that achieves a better trade-off between efficiency and accuracy is proposed.

In total, ten simple mathematical examples from the literature are employed to perform a preliminary test on the proposed method, and a comparative study is conducted to demonstrate its advantages with respect to some other existing methods.

A total of three typical geotechnical problems are employed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method in geotechnical practice.

An improved optimal order selection method that achieves a better trade-off between efficiency and accuracy is proposed. The threshold value of the deterministic coefficient used for the proposed method is discussed.

In the presence of government procurement, one important driving force behind a poor farmer entering into sales format agreements is to improve profits. In this study, the authors examine two widely used sales formats, namely resale format and agent format, to investigate how parameters influence the optimal sales format selection and decision equilibriums of supply chain members under the scenarios with or without the buyer's poverty alleviation efforts.

This paper adopts the Stackelberg game-theoretical approach to examine the interactions between the farmer from poor/rural areas and the buyer.

The authors find that under certain conditions, the optimal sales format of the poor farmer and buyer can be consistent, which eliminates conflicts in the sales format selection. In addition, with the buyer's poverty alleviation effort, the poor farmer and buyer can achieve the Pareto improvement, which is a win–win outcome for them. The authors also find that the market price in government procurement is independent of competition, which is consistent with practical observations.

It is the first study to investigate the optimal sales format selection given government procurement as a poverty alleviation effort which is in competition with a firm's regular channel.

This study aims to disclose how the nature of corporate ownership, stock efficiency and wage level affect the optimal proportion of employee stock.

This paper studies three duopoly markets: two private enterprises, two state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and a private enterprise and an SOE. The competitions between the two parties are taken as a two-stage dynamic sequential game and studied through back-induction.

The results reveal that the enterprise ownership has a directly bearing on the optimal proportion of employee stock and determines whether to implement the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and the specific level of the plan. The optimal proportion of employee stock is positively correlated with its contribution to enterprise efficiency. There are many influencing factors on the effect of wage level on the optimal proportion of employee stock, namely, the ownership nature of ESOP implementer and efficiency difference of different nature stocks.

The results of this study provide policy recommendations for companies preparing to implement ESOP.

The research findings provide policy implications for enterprises to prepare a suitable ESOP and the reform of national equities, especially the mixed-ownership reform in China.

The Chinese Government relies heavily on increasing farming scale to address the new challenges facing China’s agricultural development. A basket of polices targeted at increasing farming scale has been issued in recent years thereby resulting to debates over large-scale farming in China. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and highlight the debate over China’s on-going large-scale farming.

This paper contributes to the policy debates over large-scale farming in China by reviewing the existing literature on the positive and negative impacts of large-scale farming on agricultural development, land productivity, and national food security. This paper overviews the different ideas and findings of studies associated with the topic.

The mainstream literature supports the idea that large-scale farming will address the challenges facing China’s agricultural development, while others argue that it crowds out the benefits of small farmers, and raises concerns over inequalities of resources allocation and income distribution, and undermines social stability. While proponents argue that large-scale farming may lead to rise in land productivity, opponents argue that it may result into decrease in land productivity and national grain output.

This paper is a policy review based on existing works. It organizes the different debates over large-scale farming in China, and highlights the key arguments put forward.

The purpose of this report is to demonstrate open and distance education (ODE) can support poverty alleviation. Taking the practices of the Open University of China (the OUC) as an example, this paper aims to reveal how open universities make contributions to local residents in rural and remote areas.

Focusing on 25 poverty-stricken counties, the OUC had invested 58 million RMB to its learning centers in these counties from 2017 to 2020. The first one is to improve ICT and educational facilities in these learning centers. The second approach is to cultivate local residents with degree programs through ODE so as to promote local economic development. The third one is to design and develop training programs according to local context to meet the specific needs of local villagers.

After 3 years working, cloud-based classrooms and computer rooms have been set up. Bookstores have been founded and printed books have been donated. Hundreds of thousands of digital micro lectures have been supplied to these learning centers which have been improved and fully played their functions. Nearly 50,000 local residents have been directly benefited. Village leaders have helped lift local residents out of poverty. Poverty-stricken villagers have been financed to study on either undergraduate or diploma programs. Local residents have improved their skills by learning with the training programs offered by the OUC.

ODE is proved to be an effective way to eradicate poverty. Open universities are proved to be able to make contributions to social justice. By fulfilling its commitments to eliminate poverty within the national strategy framework, the OUC has built its brand nationwide.

The mixture of attapulgite and bentonite was used as a thickener, and polyalphaolefin was used as the base oil to prepare the new lubricating grease. Some solid particles such as Polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), MoS2, nano-calcium carbonate and graphite were added in the new lubricating grease as anti-wear additives to investigate the tribological sensitivity.

The new lubricating grease was evaluated by optimol-SRV reciprocating friction and wear tester, and the wear volumes were determined using a MicroXAM-3D. At the same time, the dropping point and the cone penetration were investigated and analyzed. The tribological properties of the new lubricating grease and the sensitivity of some solid lubricating additives to the new lubricating base grease were investigated; pure organic-bentonite and pure organic-attapulgite base grease were used as contrast.

The new lubricating grease based on the surface-modified bentonite/attapulgite clay base grease was synthesized with a relatively high dropping point, and the mass ratio is 25/75 bentonite/attapulgite clay base grease, having a better tribological performance. MoS2 was used as an anti-wear additive that has good tribological sensitivity to the new lubricating base grease.

The main innovative thought of this work lies in the mixture of attapulgite and bentonite used as thickener. A relevant report is not available at present.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the anticorrosion property of aluminium pigments and to improve their compatibility with polymers in coating.

Aluminium pigments encapsulated by organic‐inorganic layer were prepared by hydrolysis and condensation of organic silane acrylate resin and tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) on the surface of pigments via sol‐gel method. TEOS and poly (methyl methacryalte‐n‐butyl acrylate‐vinyl triethoxysilane) (PMBV) formed in advance by co‐polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA), n‐butyl acrylate (BA) and vinyl triethoxysilane (VTES) were used as precursors. The adhesion property of the aluminium pigments was measured by peel test, and the loss of silvery appearance after encapsulation and acid soaking were both evaluated by colour lightness difference (ΔL) measurement. The encapsulated aluminium pigments were further characterised by means of FTIR, SEM, TG and XPS.

It was found that PMBV‐SiO2 thin films could be formed on the surface of aluminium pigments smoothly and uniformly, and the adhesion and anticorrosion performances of encapsulated aluminium pigments were improved significantly.

The organic silane acrylate resin used as a precursor in the sol‐gel process could be synthesised from other aclyate monomers. In addition, the hydrolysis and condensation mechanism of organic silane acrylate resin on the surface of aluminium pigments need further studies.

The method developed provided a good solution to the two problems of aluminium pigments and increased their application values.

The method of improving adhesion and anticorrosion properties of aluminium pigments was novel and could find numerous applications in surface coatings and adhesives.