Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of the Success or Failure of China’s Overseas Arable Land Investment Projects—Based on the Countries along the “Belt and Road”

As globalization continues, overseas arable land investment is becoming a viable option for China to alleviate its agricultural growth constraints, and the “Belt and Road” initiative offers plenty of opportunities for China to invest in overseas arable land. This study used data from the Land Matrix, KOF, World Bank, CEPII, UNCTAD and other databases to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and factors influencing the success or failure of China’s overseas farmland investment projects in countries along the “Belt and Road” project through spatial analysis and the Logit model. The results show that North America has the largest share of production versus contracted acreage in current acreage investment cases, and Asian projects have the highest success rate. Both successful and failed projects in China regarding arable land investment are highly correlated spatially and characterized by a strong concentration and low uniformity of distribution, with differences in the degree of concentration in Asia, Africa and other regions. The contracted area, host country participation and host country resource endowment, business environment and institutional quality have significant, inverted “U-shaped”, negative and positive effects on project success, respectively. In addition, the involvement of the host country has a significant negative impact on the success of investment projects in Africa, and the length of investment and the type of investment purpose have a significant positive and negative impact on the success of investment projects in Asian countries. Therefore, China’s overseas arable land investment should be based on a full examination of existing investment projects in each country, the selection of host countries with abundant resource endowments and a good business environment and institutional environment and the adoption of a model suitable for each location to carry out investments according to local conditions

Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of the Success or Failure of China’s Overseas Arable Land Investment Projects—Based on the Countries along the “Belt and Road”

As globalization continues, overseas arable land investment is becoming a viable option for China to alleviate its agricultural growth constraints, and the “Belt and Road” initiative offers plenty of opportunities for China to invest in overseas arable land. This study used data from the Land Matrix, KOF, World Bank, CEPII, UNCTAD and other databases to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and factors influencing the success or failure of China’s overseas farmland investment projects in countries along the “Belt and Road” project through spatial analysis and the Logit model. The results show that North America has the largest share of production versus contracted acreage in current acreage investment cases, and Asian projects have the highest success rate. Both successful and failed projects in China regarding arable land investment are highly correlated spatially and characterized by a strong concentration and low uniformity of distribution, with differences in the degree of concentration in Asia, Africa and other regions. The contracted area, host country participation and host country resource endowment, business environment and institutional quality have significant, inverted “U-shaped”, negative and positive effects on project success, respectively. In addition, the involvement of the host country has a significant negative impact on the success of investment projects in Africa, and the length of investment and the type of investment purpose have a significant positive and negative impact on the success of investment projects in Asian countries. Therefore, China’s overseas arable land investment should be based on a full examination of existing investment projects in each country, the selection of host countries with abundant resource endowments and a good business environment and institutional environment and the adoption of a model suitable for each location to carry out investments according to local conditions

Simultaneous EEG and functional MRI data during rest and sleep from humans

Here we describe a publicly available dataset titled “Simultaneous EEG and fMRI signals during sleep from humans” on the OpenNeuro platform. To investigate spontaneous brain activity across distinct brain states, electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were simultaneously acquired from 33 healthy participants (age: 22.1±3.2 years; male/female: 17/16) during the resting state and sleep. The dataset consisted of two resting-state scanning sessions and several sleep sessions for each participant. In addition, sleep staging of the EEG data was performed by a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist and provided along with the EEG and fMRI data. This dataset provides an opportunity to examine spontaneous brain activity using multimodal neuroimaging signals

Research on the Spatial Network Structure and Influencing Factors of the Allocation Efficiency of Agricultural Science and Technology Resources in China

The allocation efficiency of China’s agricultural science and technology resources (ASTR) varies in different regions and has a complicated spatial distribution pattern. To visually study whether there are correlations and mutual influences between the allocation efficiency of different regions, we use social network analysis methods (SNA). The study found that: (i) China’s allocation efficiency of ASTR has significant spatial correlation and spillover effects. The overall network density is declining. (ii) The spatial correlation network has significant regional heterogeneity. Some eastern provinces play “intermediaries” and “bridges” in the network. (iii) Geographical proximity, differences in economic development levels, industrial structure levels, and differences in urbanization have a significant impact on the formation of spatial association networks

Measurement of Investment Potential and Spatial Distribution of Arable Land among Countries within the “Belt and Road Initiative”

The belt and road initiative (BRI) is a mutual development approach projected by China, which delivers exceptional opportunities for multi-phased communication and cooperation across Asia, Africa, and Europe. It opens ample opportunities for China to easily invest in overseas arable land. Based on the macro data of 119 countries in 2010 and 2016 before and after the BRI, the study comprehensively uses fuzzy C-means clustering and the entropy method to evaluate the potential of arable land investment from four dimensions, which existing literature has not fully grasped. Moreover, the study uses the exploratory spatial data analysis methods (ESDA), kernel density estimation, and trend surface analysis to study the spatial pattern characteristics. The results show that: (i) there are noticeable regional differences in the investment potential of arable land in BRI countries. Asian countries, led by Kazakhstan and Indonesia, and African Unions, led by Ethiopia, South Africa, and Tanzania, generally have higher investment potential. However, South America and European countries are relatively lower. (ii) Resource endowment and production conditions significantly impact overseas arable land investment potential. Asia and Africa have advantages in resource endowment and production conditions, while European countries generally have better economic and political environments. (iii) From the perspective of time evolution, the investment potential in 2016 is generally higher than in 2010, and the negative correlation and dispersion are lower than in 2010. Based on these findings, it is recommended that Chinese enterprises should comprehensively consider the differences in resource endowments and agricultural development levels in various countries, optimize investment layout, and reduce investment risks. Chinese companies should collaborate with host nations on modernization and promote the long-term viability of arable land investments

Fault Tree Interval Analysis of Complex Systems Based on Universal Grey Operation

The objective of this study is to propose a new operation method based on the universal grey number to overcome the shortcomings of typical interval operation in solving system fault trees. First, the failure probability ranges of the bottom events are described according to the conversion rules between the interval number and universal grey number. A more accurate system reliability calculation is then obtained based on the logical relationship between the AND gates and OR gates of a fault tree and universal grey number arithmetic. Then, considering an aircraft landing gear retraction system as an example, the failure probability range of the top event is obtained through universal grey operation. Next, the reliability of the aircraft landing gear retraction system is evaluated despite insufficient statistical information describing failures. The example demonstrates that the proposed method provides many advantages in resolving the system reliability problem despite poor information, yielding benefits for the function of the interval operation, and overcoming the drawback of solution interval enlargement under different orders of interval operation

Structural Parameter Sensitivity Analysis of an Aircraft Anti-Icing Cavity Based on Thermal Efficiency

The objective of this paper is to accurately describe the influence of structural parameter uncertainties on the thermal efficiency of an aircraft wing anti-icing cavity. To do this, a new method of parameter sensitivity evaluation is proposed according to the weighted stochastic response surface method. First, the concept of fitting the explicit performance function of the anti-icing cavity structure using the weighted stochastic response surface method is presented. A structural parameter sensitivity analysis based on thermal efficiency is then conducted considering the uncertainties of the position of the flute tube, the height of the double-skin channel, and the diameter and angle of the jet holes. The results indicate that the height of the double-skin channel and the diameter of the jet holes are the main factors influencing the functional reliability of the anti-icing cavity

Electrochemical Properties of Metallic Coatings

The metallic coating is an outstanding corrosion-protection option with extensive applications, especially in high-temperature environments. Considering the close relationship between anti-corrosion ability and constitutions, it is necessary to acquire the electrochemical properties of metallic coatings for optimizing their corrosion resistance, and further provide guidance for coating design based on the protection mechanism. Thus, this Special Issue aims at collecting research articles focusing on the electrochemical properties of various metallic coatings, especially on the application of new electrochemical techniques for analyzing the corrosion protection process and mechanism of these coatings. Both experimental and theoretical types of research are welcome for the contribution

An ocean acidification acclimatised green tide alga is robust to changes of seawater carbon chemistry but vulnerable to light stress

Ulva is the dominant genus in the green tide events and is considered to have efficient CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). However, little is understood regarding the impacts of ocean acidification on the CCMs of Ulva and the consequences of thalli's acclimation to ocean acidification in terms of responding to environmental factors. Here, we grew a cosmopolitan green alga, Ulva linza at ambient (LC) and elevated (HC) CO2 levels and investigated the alteration of CCMs in U. linza grown at HC and its responses to the changed seawater carbon chemistry and light intensity. The inhibitors experiment for photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization demonstrated that acidic compartments, extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA) and intracellular CA worked together in the thalli grown at LC and the acquisition of exogenous carbon source in the thalli could be attributed to the collaboration of acidic compartments and extracellular CA. Contrastingly, when U. linza was grown at HC, extracellular CA was completely inhibited, acidic compartments and intracellular CA were also down-regulated to different extents and thus the acquisition of exogenous carbon source solely relied on acidic compartments. The down-regulated CCMs in U. linza did not affect its responses to changes of seawater carbon chemistry but led to a decrease of net photosynthetic rate when thalli were exposed to increased light intensity. This decrease could be attributed to photodamage caused by the combination of the saved energy due to the down-regulated CCMs and high light intensity. Our findings suggest future ocean acidification might impose depressing effects on green tide events when combined with increased light exposure