the report points out that a growing volume of research publications does not necessarily mean in increase in quality
No kidding. China (and Asia South-Pacific in general) has a rampant plagiarism problem. E.g.,:
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-04-11/news/20844688_1_yuan-papers-professor
This practice has permeated many of the country's scientific journals, where it is commonplace to copy-and-paste large sections of others' work. International journals are typically able to shield this using "similarity detectors" and peer review, but the occasional hack-job still gets through occasionally.
After 65 years, Paul Erdos' combinatorial problem has been solved by Indiana University professor Nets Hawk Katz.
It was actually solved by Larry Guth and Nets Hawk Katz. Not sure how it is that authors magically disappear from press releases, especially principal authors...
I've noticed several design suggestions in your code.