The Effectiveness of Structural Monetary Policy and Macro-Prudential Policies — Based on the DSGE Model That Includes Bank Heterogeneous Credit

Journal of Systems Science and Complexity - Structural monetary policy and macro-prudential policies are important parts of the policy system of the People’s Bank of China. By constructing a...     

考虑竞争企业定向能力的定向优惠券投放策略

针对竞争环境下企业优惠券投放问题,本文引入大众优惠券和定向优惠券,综合考虑消费者忠诚度和定向能力策略,构建优惠券影响下的企业利润模型,进而分析企业优惠券投放策略。结果表明:(1)当企业实施定向优惠券策略时,企业在优势市场投放强度要高于竞争市场;(2)当企业综合考虑价格歧视和定向优惠券策略时,通过在不同细分市场给予消费者不同价格,最大程度上提升企业的利润;(3)当企业不具备完全定向能力时,企业优惠券投放强度会受到细分市场优惠券面值和投放精度的影响,且同时实行价格歧视和定向优惠券策略,可能会加剧市场竞争。     

Impact of the RMB Joining in the SDR Basket on Its Internationalization from the Perspective of Risk Spillover

For evaluating the influence of the Chinese renminbi(RMB) joining in the special drawing right(SDR) basket on RMB's internationalization, the authors systemically study the risk spillover networks and examine the dynamic relationship of exchange rates among the SDR currencies including the US dollar(USD), European Union euro(EUR), Japanese yen(JPY) and British pound(GBP).The empirical results demonstrate that the USD takes a dominant position and holds the biggest risk spillover to other currencies, and the RMB's inclusion to the SDR basket makes the risk spillover to get average, giving rise to the SDR currency system more stable to a certain degree. The inclusion of the RMB in the SDR not only can reduce the systematic risk of the SDR, but also has a certain impact on the international exchange rate markets. Nowadays, in front of the growing trade friction, more such researches could help to effectively deal with the currency disputes.     

Comparison of Travel Mode Choice Between Taxi and Subway Regarding Traveling Convenience

In this study, we investigate travel mode choice behavior between taxi and subway with an emphasis on the influence of traveling convenience. In the first stage, we examine the Origin-Destination(OD) points of Beijing taxi trips and compare these locations with the respective nearest subway station. Statistics reveal several interesting conclusions. First, for approximately 24.89% of all trips, no convenient subway connections exist between the OD pairs. As such, a taxi becomes the only viable choice. Second, for 80.23% of the remaining 75.11%of trips(equivalent to 60.26% of all trips), access distance from either the origin or the destination to the nearest subway station is greater than 500 meters. This phenomenon indicates that walking distance plays an important role in travel mode choice. In the second stage, we examine groups of taxi trips with similar travel distances and travel times to reveal common features. We establish a preference rule in terms of travel distance and travel time.This determines whether an individual driver will take a taxi or the subway, using a pairwise comparison-based preference regression model. Tests indicate that more than 95% of taxi trips can be correctly predicted by this preference rule. This conclusion reveals that traveling convenience dominates the travel model choice between taxi and subway. All these findings shed light on the factors that influence travel mode choice behavior.     

Blockage of the NLRP3 inflammasome by MCC950 improves anti-tumor immune responses in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a critical innate immune pathway responsible for producing active interleukin (IL)-1β, which is associated with tumor development and immunity. However, the mechanisms regulating the inflammatory microenvironment, tumorigenesis and tumor immunity are unclear. Herein, we show that the NLRP3 inflammasome was over-expressed in human HNSCC tissues and that the IL-1β concentration was increased in the peripheral blood of HNSCC patients. Additionally, elevated NLRP3 inflammasome levels were detected in tumor tissues of Tgfbr1/Pten 2cKO HNSCC mice, and elevated IL-1β levels were detected in the peripheral blood serum, spleen, draining lymph nodes and tumor tissues. Blocking NLRP3 inflammasome activation using MCC950 remarkably reduced IL-1β production in an HNSCC mouse model and reduced the numbers of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), regulatory T cells (Tregs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Moreover, inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation increased the numbers of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in HNSCC mice. Notably, the numbers of exhausted PD-1⁺ and Tim3⁺ T cells were significantly reduced. A human HNSCC tissue microarray showed that NLRP3 inflammasome expression was correlated with the expression of CD8 and CD4, the Treg marker Foxp3, the MDSC markers CD11b and CD33, and the TAM markers CD68 and CD163, PD-1 and Tim3. Overall, our results demonstrate that the NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1β pathway promotes tumorigenesis in HNSCC and inactivation of this pathway delays tumor growth, accompanied by decreased immunosuppressive cell accumulation and an increased number of effector T cells. Thus, inhibition of the tumor microenvironment through the NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1β pathway may provide a novel approach for HNSCC therapy.     

非物质文化遗产协同创新保护体系探究——以丹寨万达小镇为例

以丹寨万达小镇为切入点,分析它的特色之处,引出非物质文化遗产是其内核。阐述非物质文化遗产协同创新保护体系的构成,探索协同创新保护体系运营模式,指出非物质文化遗产协同创新保护之路任重而道远。     

Cost and Service-Level-Based Model for a Seru Production System Formation Problem with Uncertain Demand

With increasing demand diversification and short product lifecycles, industries now encounter challenges of demand uncertainty. The Japanese seru production system has received increased attention owing to its high efficiency and flexibility. In this paper, the problem of seru production system formation under uncertain demand is researched. A multi-objective optimization model for a seru production system formation problem is developed to minimize the cost and maximize the service level of the system. The purpose of this paper is to formulate a robust production system that can respond efficiently to the stochastic demand. Sample average approximation (SAA) is used to approximate the expected objective of the stochastic programming. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is improved to solve the multi-objective optimization model. Numerical experiments are conducted to test the tradeoff between cost and service level, and how the performance of the seru production system varies with the number of product types, mean and deviation of product volume, and skill-level-based cost.     

A Simulation Method for Analyzing and Evaluating Rail System Performance Based on Speed Profile

This paper presents and discusses a simulation method for analyzing and evaluating system performance on a rail line from the perspective of speed profile. Dynamic analysis for train motions is introduced, and a discrete time-operation graph is proposed to represent the relation between speed profile and energy consumption. Based on them, an analytical model is formulated to provide a quick insight into the system performance. The discrete-time simulation (DTS) method is then implemented to study the system in detail. Compared to the existing simulations, two innovations are included in the DTS: (1) the analytical lookup tables that can simplify the dynamic computation and, (2) the speed profile adjustment process that forecasts and avoids future conflicts based on practical constraints. The numerical results show that the DTS speed profile has advantages over existing methods. Finally, the DTS method is used to analyze and evaluate the system performance of the current timetable on Beijing Yizhuang Metro Line. The results suggest that the current timetable is not robust enough, and thus possible improvements are discussed at both scheduling and operating stages. The proposed method is verified to be effective and reliable for practical uses.     

A method for recovery of iron,titanium, and vanadium from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite

An innovative method for recovering valuable elements from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite is proposed. This method involves two procedures: low-temperature roasting of vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite and water leaching of roasting slag. During the roasting process, the reduction of iron oxides to metallic iron, the sodium oxidation of vanadium oxides to water-soluble sodium vanadate, and the smelting separation of metallic iron and slag were accomplished simultaneously. Optimal roasting conditions for iron/slag separation were achieved with a mixture thickness of 42.5 mm, a roasting temperature of 1200°C, a residence time of 2 h, a molar ratio of C/O of 1.7, and a sodium carbonate addition of 70 wt%, as well as with the use of anthracite as a reductant. Under the optimal conditions, 93.67% iron from the raw ore was recovered in the form of iron nugget with 95.44% iron grade. After a water leaching process, 85.61% of the vanadium from the roasting slag was leached, confirming the sodium oxidation of most of the vanadium oxides to water-soluble sodium vanadate during the roasting process. The total recoveries of iron, vanadium, and titanium were 93.67%, 72.68%, and 99.72%, respectively.     

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator—emerging regulator of cancer

Mutations of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) cause cystic fibrosis, the most common life-limiting recessive genetic disease among Caucasians. CFTR mutations have also been linked to increased risk of various cancers but remained controversial for a long time. Recent studies have begun to reveal that CFTR is not merely an ion channel but also an important regulator of cancer development and progression with multiple signaling pathways identified. In this review, we will first present clinical findings showing the correlation of genetic mutations or aberrant expression of CFTR with cancer incidence in multiple cancers. We will then focus on the roles of CFTR in fundamental cellular processes including transformation, survival, proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition in cancer cells, highlighting the signaling pathways involved. Finally, the association of CFTR expression levels with patient prognosis, and the potential of CFTR as a cancer prognosis indicator in human malignancies will be discussed.