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Quality improvement is critical to the success of software development organizations. Automated tools can greatly assist in the implementation of quality improvement. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the state of tool support of software process improvement.

The authors first review three quality improvement models that can be used for improving the quality of software products, and then identify the required activities of the quality improvement effort based on those models. These activities identified then serve as a reference list to determine the support provided by commercial tools. The paper then conducts two surveys of software quality improvement tools and presents the results.

The results from two surveys indicate that: there is no tool that supports problem identification; most tools can provide several software process improvement functions to help software organizations to improve their process capability and the quality of their products; and there is no set of tools that can provide a complete coverage of all improvement activities.

Although the authors have conducted a detailed search on the internet to identify SPI tools, such a survey will miss those tools which have no presence on the internet. However, the authors are confident that their results can reflect what is available in the marketplace.

Process practitioners will learn about the state of support available in the marketplace and what they may need to develop on their own to provide complete support for their improvement efforts.

The paper proposes a classification of software process improvement functions and present a first survey of software quality improvement tools. The results will be beneficial to process practitioners.

This paper aims to focus on the preparation of Kevlar fiber (KF) and alkaline hydrolyzed KF (KF-H) to improve the dispersed condition of polyaniline (PAn), as the aggregation of PAn would lead to some adsorption sites buried. And then the materials were used to enrich anionic dye Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution.

The materials (KF@PAn and KF-H@PAn) were designed by means of “diffusion-interfacial-polymerization” under mild condition as high affinity due to the structural properties of PAn, KF and KF-H. The dispersed degree of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H was validated according to adsorption efficiency for CR.

The content of PAn introduced was not beyond 20 wt.%, while adsorption capacity for CR was significantly enhanced by 4–8 times (on the basis of kinetic data) according to the calculation only by the content of PAn due to KF and alkaline hydrolyzed KF exhibited almost no adsorption for CR, indicating dispersed situation of PAn coating was greatly enhanced and more active sites exposed, which was favorable for the adsorption process. Presence of NaCl would exhibit a more or less positive effect on CR uptake, suggesting the materials could be used for high salt environment.

The investigated means of dispersed degree of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H are the further and future investigation.

This study will provide a method to improve the dispersed situation of PAn and a theoretical support to treat anionic dyes from aqueous solution especially for salt environment.

The results showed that the dispersed condition of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H was greatly improved. According to the adsorption capacities for CR, it can be concluded that part of adsorption sites were buried due to the aggregation of PAn, and introduction of KF and KF-H, buried adsorption sites decreased greatly. This study will provide a method to decrease buried adsorption sites of PAn and a contribution for their convenient application in wastewater treatment especially for high salt environment.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of farmland renting-in on planted grain acreage.

A survey data of five counties were analyzed with the two-stage ordinary least squares model.

Households renting-in land trended to plant more maize, and the more land was rented by a household the more maize was planted, while wheat acreage showed non-response to farmland renting-in.

Overall, the analysis suggests that policy makers should be prepared for different changing trends of grain crop acreage across the nation as farmland transfer continues. Future research should pay attention to the effect of farmland transfer on agricultural productivity and rural household income growth.

As the Chinese Government is promoting larger-scale and more mechanized farms as a way of protecting grain security, it is important to understand whether farmland renting-in will reduce planted grain acreage. This study provides empirical evidence showing the answer to that question may differ across different regions and depend on the particular grain crop in question.

Globally, co-production is of great significance in promoting neighborhood regeneration. However, in the Chinese context, characterized by a governance system with strong government discourse power and a tradition of passive public participation, co-production has faced significant challenges. To address issues, this paper aims to deeply understand the co-production behaviors and strategy choices of local governments and residents in the co-produced neighborhood regeneration.

An evolutionary game approach was utilized as the research method to analyze the interest interactions between the two parties, the differences and similarities in strategy choices and the influencing factors in government and resident-initiated project types, respectively. Chongqing was selected as the case area for empirical analysis, with data derived from project materials and in-depth interviews.

This study revealed dynamic interactions between local governments and residents, significant differences between the two project types regarding co-production levels, the positive role of residents' perceived loss and the effect of marginal benefits on critical influencing factors.

Drawing upon co-production theory, this paper elucidates how different levels of co-production are implemented and highlights the differences between the two types of neighborhood regeneration projects within governance systems characterized by strong state discourse power and a lack of public participation tradition. It addresses current issues and provides critical references for government policymakers and urban planners to make informed decisions and promote co-produced neighborhood rehabilitation projects.

International research has found that Homeowners Association (HOA) is capitalized in housing price in the West. Is that result applicable in Chinese cities? In China there is also widespread applause for HOA. Will that leave trail in the housing market? This paper aims to answer these questions by presenting empirical evidence from 113 private gated communities in Chongqing, China.

The data set comes from three different sources including a telephone survey. The research methodology includes hedonic models with an endogenous dummy variable of the presence of HOA in a community.

HOA is not capitalized in housing price.

The empirical finding helps to explain why about 80% of private communities in big Chinese cities have not formed an HOA.

This is the first empirical study on HOA capitalization in housing price in China.