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This paper aims to understand the characteristics and contributions of the secure and trustworthy cyberspace (SaTC) projects funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). These research projects were funded during the period of 2015–2023.

The authors applied a data analytics approach to proposal records of 1,025 NSF SaTC projects. These records were downloaded from the NSF proposal database via its search function. The analysis includes bibliometric analysis, shallow natural language processing and manual content analysis.

About 11 NSF divisions or units have sponsored SaTC research. About 214 universities or organizations in 44 states received SaTC funds. The key concepts of these projects include adversarial attacks, cryptography, cloud computing, internet of things, differential privacy, mobile devices and others. These projects were motivated by a lack of understanding or investigation of one or more technologies in the cybersecurity domain or the inefficacy of existing tools or algorithms. The objectives of these proposals included providing new insights and developing new tools, methods, frameworks, training courses and organizing workshops with support for workshop attendees. Among the funded projects, 60.82% proposed providing educational materials that would be beneficial to K-12 students, college students and the public.

The present data range from 2015 to May 2023. New projects awarded after May 2023 were not included.

The findings provide rich and useful information for the funding agency, SaTC researchers and students. The funding agency may want to review their funding focus and fund distributions; SaTC researchers could refer to the topics and the objectives discussed in funded proposals when developing their new projects; and students at all levels could refer to SaTC topics, participating researchers and institutions for their learning.

This study is the first attempt, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to analyze NSF SaTC projects. The analysis benefits researchers and students to gain an understanding of NSF-funded projects and insights into secure and trustworthy cyberspace areas.

Automatic robots can improve the efficiency of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank inspection and maintenance, but it is difficult to achieve high-precision spatial positioning and navigation on tank surfaces. The purpose of this paper is to develop a spatial positioning robotic system for tank inspection. The robot can accurately identify and track weld paths. The positioning system can complete robot’s spatial positioning on tank surfaces.

A tank inspection robot with curvature-adaptive transmission mechanisms is designed in this study. A weld path recognition method based on deep learning is proposed to accurately identify and extract weld paths. Integrated multiple sensors, the positioning system is developed to improve the robot’s spatial positioning accuracy. Experiments are conducted on a cylindrical tank to test weld seam tracking accuracy and spatial positioning performance of the robotic system. The practicality of the robotic system is then verified in field tests.

The robot can accurately identify and track weld seams with a maximum drift angle of 4° and a maximum offset distance of ±30 mm. The positioning system has excellent positioning accuracy and stability. The maximum angle and height errors are 3° and 0.08 m, respectively.

The positioning system can improve the autonomous performance of inspection robots and solve the problems of weld path recognition and spatial positioning. Application of the robotic system can promote the automatic inspection and maintenance of LPG tanks.

The purpose of this paper is to study the interfacial effect on mechanical properties of the cellulose nano crystal (CNC)–shape memory polymer (SMP) composites by using combination of the theoretical and experimental approaches.

SMP composites were fabricated by introducing CNCs into crystalline shape memory polyurethane. The morphological, thermal and mechanical properties were comprehensively investigated. Theoretical approach based upon the percolation model was used to simulate the storage modulus E’ variation of the composites in crystalline and amorphous states, respectively. The classic two-phase percolation model was used for the amorphous-state composites. Furthermore, a three-phase model consisting of interfacial regions was created for the crystalline-state composites.

The deviation of nano fillers mechanical reinforcements was disclosed as the composites triggered thermal transitions. Modified percolation theory involving the interfacial effects greatly enhanced the simulation accuracy.

The study made the traditional percolating theory suitable for dynamic modulus and polymorphs polymers in terms of mechanics, which may extend the potential application.

The findings may greatly benefit the development of novel interfacial reinforcing theory and intelligent polymeric nanocomposites featuring polymorphs and dynamic properties.

This study aims to investigate the impact of travel advisory perception and cultural distance on travel intention based on the push and pull theory, the stimulus–organism–response model and protection motivation theory.

The paper conducts an empirical test with a questionnaire survey. The authors asked respondents to answer questions on a five-point Likert-type scale, which included threat severity, threat susceptibility, advisory perception, perceived cultural distance, travel motivation and travel intention.

In this paper, through a questionnaire of 424 respondents, the authors found that threat severity has a positive impact on advisory perception and perceived cultural distance, and that advisory perception indirectly affect travel intention through travel motivation.

Previous literature has discussed the influencing factors of travel intention but rarely does it consider the intrinsic relationship and interaction between advisory perception and cultural distance. The results of this study help fill some gaps in the research on advisory perception and perceived cultural distance, guide governments on how to better formulate travel advisories and provide a new perspective for tourism industry practitioners to improve their travel products after the COVID-19 pandemic especially.

The purpose of this paper is to establish a two-stage grey cloud clustering model under the panel data for the multi-attribute clustering problem with three-parameter interval grey number to evaluation of agricultural drought resistance grade of 18 cities in Henan Province.

The clustering process is divided into two stages. In the first stage: Combining variance and time degree, the time weight optimization model is established. Applying the prospect theory, the index weight optimization model is established. Then, with the help of grey possibility function, the first stage of grey cloud clustering evaluation is carried out. In the second stage: the weight vector group of kernel clustering is constructed, and the grey class of the object is determined. A two-stage grey cloud clustering model under the panel data for the multi-attribute clustering problem is proposed.

This paper indicates that 18 cities in Henan Province are divided into four categories. The drought capacity in Henan province is high in the east and low in the west, high in the south and low in the north and the central region is relatively stable. The drought is greatly affected by natural factors. And the rationality and validity of this model is illustrated by comparing with other methods.

This paper provides a practical method for drought resistance assessment, and provides theoretical support for farmers to grasp the drought information timely and improve the drought resistance ability.

The model in this paper solves the situation of ambiguity and randomness to some extent with the help of grey cloud possibility function. Moreover, the time weight of time degree and variance are used to reduce the volatility and the degree of subjective empowerment. Considering the risk attitude of the decision makers, the prospect theory is applied to make the index weight more objective. The rationality and validity of the model are illustrated by taking 18 cities in Henan Province as examples.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development process of the fire whirl in the fixed-frame facility and focus on the impacts of the fire whirl’s vortex core on the formation and flame structure of the fire whirl.

The complex turbulent reacting flame surface is captured by the large eddy simulation turbulence closure coupled with two sub-grid scale (SGS) kinetic schemes (i.e. the chemistry equilibrium and steady diffusion flamelet). Numerical predictions are validated thoroughly against the measurements by Lei et al. (2015) with excellent agreements. A double maximum tangential velocity refinement approach is proposed to quantify the vortex cores’ instantaneous location and region, addressing the missing definition in other studies.

The numerical results show that the transition process of the fire whirl is dominated by the vortex core movement, which is related to the centripetal force. The unsteadiness of the fully developed fire whirl was found depending on the instantaneous fluctuation of heat release rate. The steady diffusion flamelet scheme is essential to capture the instantaneous fluctuation. Furthermore, the axial velocity inside the vortex core is the key to determining the state of fire whirl.

Due to intensive interactions between buoyant fires and ambient rotating flow, the on-set and formation of fire whirl still remain largely elusive. This paper focused on the transition process of fire whirl between different development stages. This paper provides insights into the transition process from the inclined flame to the fire whirls based on the centripetal force.

This paper presented and compared two SGS kinetic schemes to resolve the fire whirl development process and the unsteadiness of its vortical structures. The modelling framework addresses the shortcoming of previous numerical studies where RANS turbulence closure and simplified combustion kinetics was adopted. Numerical results also revealed the fire whirl transition process and its relationship to centripetal force.

This study aims to present the Chinese entrepreneurial environment and explore Chinese tertiary students’ online-startup motivation on live streaming platforms. Based on the COM-B behaviour changing theory, this paper discovers various influencing factors from environmental opportunity and personal capability aspects. It analyses their effects under the cooperative system established among official departments, industries and universities. Meanwhile, considering social and cultural control, it also refers to the uncertainty-avoidance dimension from the Hofstede cultural theory and re-evaluates its influence on Chinese tertiary students’ online-startup motivation.

The authors analyse 474 responses from online questionnaires through partial least squares path modelling and variance-based structural equation modelling. The paper claims that environmental opportunity and personal capability factors positively affect students’ online-startup motivation, but uncertainty-avoidance thinking plays a negative role. The study also measures the importance-performance map analysis to explore additional findings and discuss managerial implications.

Both platform support and official department support positively impact Chinese tertiary students’ online-startup motivation and entrepreneurial skills learned from universities are beneficial for them to build online-startup confidence. Meanwhile, influenced by the cooperative system implemented among official departments, industries and universities, official department support positively affects platform support and entrepreneurial skills. Conversely, influenced by Chinese traditional Confucian culture, uncertainty-avoidance thinking negatively affects tertiary students’ online-startup motivation.

This paper demonstrates the analysis of Chinese tertiary students’ online-startup motivation drawing on the COM-B behaviour changing and Hofstede cultural theories. Specifically, this study divides influencing factors into three specific aspects as follows: environmental opportunity, personal capability and social and cultural control. Unlike existing research applying traditional research models, the combination of the COM-B behaviour changing theory and the Hofstede cultural theory could be conducive to making the research model reflect influencing factors and present their different relationships.

The purpose of this paper is to establish a two-stage grey cloud clustering model to assess the drought risk level of 18 prefecture-level cities in Henan Province.

The clustering process is divided into two stages. In the first stage, grey cloud clustering coefficient vectors are obtained by grey cloud clustering. In the second stage, with the help of the weight kernel clustering function, the general representation of the weight vector group of kernel clustering is given. And a new coefficient vector of kernel clustering that integrates the support factors of the adjacent components was obtained in this stage. The entropy resolution coefficient of grey cloud clustering coefficient vector is set as the demarcation line of the two stages, and a two-stage grey cloud clustering model, which combines grey and randomness, is proposed.

This paper demonstrates that 18 cities in Henan Province are divided into five categories, which are in accordance with five drought hazard levels. And the rationality and validity of this model is illustrated by comparing with other methods.

This paper provides a practical and effective new method for drought risk assessment and, then, provides theoretical support for the government and production departments to master drought information and formulate disaster prevention and mitigation measures.

The model in this paper not only solves the problem that the result and the rule of individual subjective judgment are always inconsistent owing to not fully considering the randomness of the possibility function, but also solves the problem that it’s difficult to ascertain the attribution of decision objects, when several components of grey clustering coefficient vector tend to be balanced. It provides a new idea for the development of the grey clustering model. The rationality and validity of the model are illustrated by taking 18 cities in Henan Province as examples.

Village-level archives are the most basic construction unit of rural archives in China, yet the village-level archival work is the most poorly delivered. However, the evolution of the laws and rules on village-level archival work in recent years signal that Chinese village-level archival work has stepped into a new era. In this context, this article aims to review the detailed history of village-level archival legislation, examine the legislation’ implementation effect and discuss the existing problems with a view to providing improvement measures.

A historical research method is used to review the legislation’ history, and the analysis involving the implementation effect is mainly based on literature of two kinds, which are investigation reports on sample villages’ archival work carried out by scholars, and summary reports and work schemes on national or local village-level archival work given by the archival management or administrative management departments at various level.

At first, China only issued non-legal administrative orders toward village-level archival work. Later, some regions issued local rules, and finally the national rules and even Archives Law with relevant provisions were promulgated. However, their implementation faced two fundamental problems; firstly the insufficient endogenous demand for archival work in some villages, and secondly the mechanism problem involving village level archives management. The countermeasures are also discussed building on these two points.

This is the first article to systematically combine a review of the history of Chinese village-level archival legislation and in addition to examine their implementation effect including analyzing the existing problems from the macro level.

The National People’s Congress (NPC) of People’s Republic of China, the highest organ of state power, is popularly seen as a rubber-stamp entity. However, it has been substantially evolving its roles to accommodate the governance discourses within China’s political system over the decades. This study aims to explore the changes of governance discourse of the NPC within China’s political system through which to offer a thorough understanding of the NPC’s evolving substantial role in current China.

This study deploys a historical approach to explore the changes of governance discourse of the NPC that has seen a growing importance in China’s political agenda, as argued by this study.

The authors find that the NPC has been substantially evolving its role within China’s political system in which the Chinese Communist Party has created different governance discourses. Besides, the NPC and its Standing Committee have asserted its authority as a substantial actor within China’s political system. The NPC is no longer functioned as a rubber-stamp institution, though it is still popularized as a rubber stamp by many scholars.

This study is a historical elaboration on the development of NPC under three governance discourses. It might be, to some extent, relatively descriptive in nature.

This study, therefore, sheds some light on a revisit on the governance discourses in current China.