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In recent years, economic research has increasingly focused on the increase in local government debt, attracting the attention of government regulators. Using data from 2006 to 2022, this study empirically examines how local government debt affects financing activities. The results reveal local government debt’ s crowding-out effect on financing, particularly for non-state-owned enterprises. Further analysis reveals that this negative impact is driven by ‘passive crowding-out’ rather than ‘active choice’ for enterprises. Local governments can directly influence commercial banks, and commercial banks prefer holding local government debt. Moreover, while new local government debt initially boosts economic growth, the continuous accumulation of debt stock exacerbates the crowding-out effect, impacting overall output. These findings provide insights into the micro-level implications of local government fiscal policies and offer guidance for advancing debt system reforms.

Ecosystem services are crucial for human survival and development. Changes in land use can lead to alterations in ecosystem service functions. However, the mechanism of how land use changes resulting from underground coal mining affect ecosystem service remains unclear, especially in areas with high groundwater levels. To address this issue, we studied the spatiotemporal in land use change in Jining City from 2000 to 2020 and employed Markov-PIM (probability integration method)-PLUS (Patch-generate Land Use Simulation) model to simulate land use change and ecosystem service values (ESV) in Jining City by 2030 under four different scenarios. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, the area of ecological space increased by 169.99 km2, and the area of living space expanded by 775.28 km2, while the area of production space decreased by 945.27 km2, conversely. These changes led to a 3 million yuan increase in total ESV. From 2020 to 2030, there was a marked decline in ESV under both natural development (ND) and living space preference (LSP) scenarios, with decreases of 0.59 billion yuan and 1.38 billion yuan, respectively. In contrast, in production space preference (PSP) and ecological space preference (ESP) scenarios, ESV increase by 0.22 billion yuan and 0.34 billion yuan. The ESP scenario is an effective strategy to strengthen environmental protection, significantly improve the ESV level of Jining City and meet the development goals of Jining City. Finally, the study concludes with recommendations like comprehensive management, industrial upgrading, and collaborative development for optimizing Jining City's future land use and enhance ESV for urban development.

As an important component of the automatic hydraulic quick coupling device (AHQCD) on rescue vehicles, the hydraulic quick couplings (HQCs) are used to rapidly dock hydraulic lines and transport fluid while changing and operating hydraulic working tools. However, during tool operation at rescue sites, pressure pulsations at multiple frequencies in the hydraulic lines can coincide with the natural frequencies of the HQCs, potentially causing resonance that severely affects the stability of fluid conveying and damages the connection of hydraulic lines accidentally. To investigate the natural frequencies of the HQCs with upstream and downstream lines, the characteristics of fluid–structure interaction were considered between the poppets and the fluid in this study, and an equivalent stiffness model of the fluid domain was derived based on the fluid compressibility. A dynamic model, along with 6-DOF equations for the system, was established, and the natural frequencies and mode vectors were determined by free vibration analysis. In addition, the effects of working pressure, air content, and stiffness of the springs on the natural frequency of the HQC system were analyzed. The results show the natural frequency increases with a higher working pressure and lower air content, while the effect of spring stiffness on natural frequencies varies with different modes. Furthermore, the proposed model is validated by experimental pressure signals, showing good agreement, with an average error of 2.7% for the first-order natural frequency. This paper presents a theoretical method for improving the stability of fluid transport when operating various hydraulic tools under complex rescue conditions.

N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) is acknowledged as a tumor promoter in various cancers due to its role as a regulator of acetylation modification. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a pivotal role in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the intercellular communication between esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells and TAMs involving NAT10 remains poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of NAT10 in modulating macrophage lipid metabolism and polarization. Experimental evidence was derived from in vitro and in vivo analyses. We explored the association between upregulated NAT10 in ESCC tissues, macrophage polarization, and the therapeutic efficacy of PD-1. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of methyltransferase 3 (METTL3)-induced m6A modification on the increased expression of NAT10 in ESCC cells. Additionally, we examined the role of exosomal NAT10 in stabilizing the expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) and promoting macrophage M2 polarization through mediating the ac4C modification of FASN. Results indicated that NAT10, packaged by exosomes derived from ESCC cells, promotes macrophage M2 polarization by facilitating lipid metabolism. In vivo animal studies demonstrated that targeting NAT10 could enhance the therapeutic effect of PD-1 on ESCC by mediating macrophage reprogramming. Our findings offer novel insights into improving ESCC treatment through NAT10 targeting.

Background Activating signal cointegrator 3 (ASCC3) has been identified as an oncogenic factor that impairs host immune defense. However, the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis and its impact on the antitumor immune response remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of ASCC3 in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods Single-cell sequencing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and gene expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas database were analyzed. The expression, clinical relevance and biological functions of ASCC3 in NSCLC were explored. Then, RNA sequencing, immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry analyses were conducted to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. In addition, in vivo experiments in mouse models were conducted to explore the probability of ASCC3 knockdown to improve the efficacy of anti-Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) therapy in NSCLC.Results ASCC3 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC and correlated with poor pathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Overexpression of ASCC3 promoted malignant phenotypes of NSCLC cells and induced an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which was characterized by a decrease in CD8+ T cells, natural killer cells and dendritic cells but an increase in regulatory T(Treg) cells. Mechanistically, ASCC3 stabilized signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 signaling by recruiting Cullin-associated and neddylation dissociated 1 (CAND1), which inhibited ubiquitin-mediated degradation of STAT3, thereby impairing the type I interferon response of tumor cells and promoting the immunosuppression and progression of NSCLC. Furthermore, high expression of ASCC3 impaired the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy, and an anti-PD-1 antibody combined with ASCC3 knockdown exerted promising synergistic efficacy in a preclinical mouse model.Conclusion ASCC3 could stabilize the STAT3 pathway via CAND1, reshaping the tumor microenvironment and inducing resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy, which promotes the progression of NSCLC. It is a reliable prognostic indicator and can be a target in combination therapy for NSCLC.

Abstract The alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is a widely used model predictive control (MPC) acceleration method. It adopts the time‐splitting technique, splitting the original problem into independent subproblems. Relaxed ADMM (R‐ADMM) is a generalization of ADMM that often achieves faster convergence. However, its parameters must be chosen by an expert user. Besides, the existing convergence proof of R‐ADMM adopts a first‐order Taylor approximation, which makes the range of relaxation factors conservative. We tackle these weaknesses by giving rigorous evidence and finding the optimal relaxation factor. Firstly, we deduce the convergence of the R‐ADMM algorithm, yielding an accurate range of relaxation factors. Then, we analyze the relationship between convergence rate and relaxation factor and conclude that the optimal relaxation factor depends on a recurrence condition. Since splitting introduces the equality constraint, the decoupled states are getting close in the iteration, meeting the recursive requirements and helping find the optimal relaxation factor. Finally, various trajectory tracking tasks are conducted to verify the efficiency of the R‐ADMM algorithm. And the simulation results show that the R‐ADMM algorithm reduces the number of iterations by 63.7% compared with the ADMM algorithm in the double lane change task.

Imaging methods, such as CT or MRI, cannot provide accurate diagnosis between malignant thymomas and other thymic abnormalities. Here the authors show that the levels of IL-8 in circulating naive T cells are elevated in patients with thymoma compared with other thymic masses, proposing IL-8 as a candidate biomarker for thymoma diagnosis and recurrence surveillance.

ObjectiveTissue selection therapy staplers (TSTs) are widely used to treat prolapsing hemorrhoids; however, some disadvantages exist. We describe a modified technique for the treatment of prolapsing hemorrhoids, with the aim of minimizing the risk of anal stenosis and anal incontinence and reducing the impact of postoperative complications from the stapling technique. We applied a modified TST procedure, and the preliminary data were used to test the efficacy and safety of this new technique.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent modified TST for prolapsing hemorrhoids at our department between January 2018 and January 2020. All patients received a modified TST. Most prolapsing hemorrhoids were not segmentally resected and were instead selectively removed. The demographics, preoperative characteristics, postoperative complications, therapeutic effects, and patient satisfaction were collected and analyzed.ResultsA total of 106 patients were included in the study; 53 were men and 53 women (mean age, 49.24 years). The mean operative time was 55.01 min, and the mean hospital stay was 7.82 days. After surgery, three patients experienced bleeding (2.83%), 2 patients experienced anal discharge (1.89%), 2 patients experienced tenesmus (1.89%), and 5 patients experienced anal tags (4.72%). Anal incontinence, persistent post stapler pain, rectovaginal fistula and anal stenosis did not occur. Two patients developed recurrent symptomatic hemorrhoids (1.89%). The total effective rate of the surgery and the total satisfaction rate of the patients was 97.17%.ConclusionsThe modified tissue selection therapy stapler technique was a satisfactory and economical treatment for prolapsing hemorrhoids at a follow-up period of 1 year. The modified TST was associated with reduced anal stenosis and anal incontinence, less persistent post stapler pain and a minimal risk of rectovaginal fistula.

The compressed air energy storage system has a better energy density, while the widely used hydraulic one is superior in power performance. Therefore, they are suitable for different hybrid vehicles, which require a comparative study on the performances and vehicle applicability of the broad pressure energy storage system layouts. In this paper, an integrated mathematical model of four basic pressure layouts is presented for characteristic analysis and applicability discussion. Results show that the open volume layout achieves the best power performance with the flow specific power of 13.92 MJ/m 3 , thus it is suitable for heavy hybrid trucks and mobile machinery. The open mass layout achieves the best energy performance with the energy density of 124.35 MJ/m 3 , which can be used in light new energy passenger vehicles. And the performance of the closed volume layout is close to the open volume layout with the flow specific power of 9.78 MJ/m 3 , so it could be applied to middle and light hybrid trucks. This research provides a basis for the hybrid method of pressure energy storage system layouts for vehicles, and could be applied in the design and research of non-electric hybrid vehicles in the near future.

The improved hydraulic energy storage system (IHESS) is a novel compact hydraulic ESS with only 10% of oil and 64.78% of installation space of the regular ones. However, its novel circulating structure and lightweight material result in poor heat dissipation. The thermodynamic and heat transfer model of IHESS with an oil-circulating layout is proposed. Based on the mining trucks’ dynamic model, thermal characteristics of IHESSs with different parameters under the actual and simplified working conditions are studied and the factors causing overheating are analyzed. Finally, a feasible thermal design is put forward, and its efficiency is analyzed. The simulation shows that more accumulators and higher recovery power lead to higher system temperature and vice versa. Under the standard simplified working condition at 40°C ambient temperature, the highest oil temperature reached is 93.13°C. About 90% of the generated heat is converted into the internal energy of nitrogen and oil. On this basis, by adopting an energy-saving passive cooling system with a cooling power of 6.68 kW, the highest temperature of the oil drops to 52.79°C and 28% of the generated heat is released through the cooling system.

Abstract Background In recent years, copper complexes have gradually become the focus of potential anticancer drugs due to their available redox properties and low toxicity. In this study, a novel mitochondrion-targeting copper (II) complex, [Cu (ttpy-tpp)Br2] Br (simplified as CTB), is first synthesized by our group. CTB with tri-phenyl-phosphine (TPP), a targeting and lipophilic group, can cross the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial membranes of tumor cells. The present study aims to investigate how CTB affects mitochondrial functions and exerts its anti-tumor activity in hepatoma cells. Methods Multiple molecular experiments including Flow cytometry, Western blot, Immunofluorescence, Tracker staining, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Molecular docking simulation were used to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Human hepatoma cells were subcutaneously injected into right armpit of male nude mice for evaluating the effects of CTB in vivo. Results CTB induced apoptosis via collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ROS production, Bax mitochondrial aggregation as well as cytochrome c release, indicating that CTB-induced apoptosis was associated with mitochondrial pathway in human hepatoma cells. Mechanistic study revealed that ROS-related mitochondrial translocation of p53 was involved in CTB-mediated apoptosis. Simultaneously, elevated mitochondrial Drp1 levels were also observed, and interruption of Drp1 activation played critical role in p53-dependent apoptosis. CTB also strongly suppressed the growth of liver cancer xenografts in vivo. Conclusion In human hepatoma cells, CTB primarily induces mitochondrial dysfunction and promotes accumulation of ROS, leading to activation of Drp1. These stimulation signals accelerate mitochondrial accumulation of p53 and lead to the eventual apoptosis. Our research shows that CTB merits further evaluation as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The energy storage system of electric-drive heavy mining trucks takes on a critical significance in the characteristics including excellent load capacity, economy, and high efficiency. However, the existing battery-based system does not apply to harsh cold environments, which is the common working condition for the above trucks. A type of cycle hydro-pneumatic energy storage system for the trucks was proposed in this study. The dynamic model of the system, including the dynamic and thermodynamic models of hydraulic and pneumatic parts, was built to analyze the performance of the system. Subsequently, the thermodynamic characteristics were clarified during the energy storage and released through the real test condition-based simulation. The power and energy performances of the system were studied in practice based on the above characteristics. The analysis of the results showed that the system reduced 22.03% driving power at the optimal braking energy recovery rate, the energy density was nearly 12.6 MJ/m3, the maximum input power was higher than 230 kW, and the cycle efficiency was about 40.6%. The results of this study will be conducive to the application of the hydro-pneumatic energy storage system for the electric-drive mining trucks and reducing the resulting carbon emission.

The patient was a 62-year-old man diagnosed as having prostatic extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumor (EGIST) who was treated with imatinib. No recurrence or metastasis was found after a 6-month follow-up. We identified 14 cases of prostatic primary EGIST in PubMed and summarized these cases with our case. The patients’ ages ranged from 31 to 78 years (average: 53.6 years), and most patients’ prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations were within normal limits (92.9%, 13/14). All patients underwent imaging examinations; prostatic masses measured 6 to 14.2 cm (mean: 9.43 cm), and imaging excluded secondary prostatic masses from the intestinal tract. By immunohistochemical staining, the tumors were positive for cluster of differentiation (CD)117 (71.4%, 10/14), DOG1 (100%, 7/7), and CD34 (100%, 14/14), and negative for smooth muscle actin (SMA) (71.4%, 10/14), desmin (100%, 11/11), and S100 (100%, 12/12). Treatment depended on the results of the gene mutation detection as well as the risk estimation according to tumor size and microscopic mitotic rates (>5 per 50 high-power fields: 60%, 6/10). Among the 12 patients with reported outcomes, nine achieved good results (no recurrence or metastasis), one achieved reduced mass volume, one experienced recurrence, and one died.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is described as a characteristic of acute jaundice and coagulation dysfunction. Effective treatments for ACLF are unavailable and hence are urgently required. We aimed to define the effect of Yi-Qi-Jian-Pi Formula (YQJPF) on liver injury and further examine the molecular mechanisms. In this study, we established CCl4-, LPS-, and d-galactosamine (D-Gal)-induced ACLF rat models in vivo and LPS- and D-Gal-induced hepatocyte injury models in vitro. We found that YQJPF significantly ameliorates liver injury in vivo and in vitro that is associated with the regulation of hepatocyte necroptosis. Specifically, YQJPF decreased expression of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) and pseudokinase mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) to inhibit the migration of RIPK1 and RIPK3 into necrosome. YQJPF also reduces the expression of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α, which were regulated by RIPK3 mediates cell death. RIPK1 depletion was found to enhance the protective effect of YQJPF. Furthermore, we showed that YQJPF significantly downregulates the mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial depolarization, with ROS scavenger, 4-hydroxy-TEMPO treatment recovering impaired RIPK1-mediated necroptosis and reducing the expression of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α. In summary, our study revealed the molecular mechanism of protective effect of YQJPF on hepatocyte necroptosis, targeting RIPK1/RIPK3-complex-dependent necroptosis via ROS signaling. Overall, our results provided a novel perspective to indicate the positive role of YQJPF in ACLF.

The construction of estuary sluice has profound and adverse biological consequences through its effect on the hydrodynamic process and salinity gradient. Environmental flow plays an essential role in the conservation of the ecological environment, but its calculation methods remain biased towards the traditional single-target fish species. Consequently, these flows ignore the ecological requirements of different biological communities and therefore disregard the long-term perspective of the riverine and estuarine ecosystem. Actually, we found that once the sluice was built, the available habitat throughout the river would show a degradation by 81.55% for fish that produce floating eggs and 14.25% for fish that produce sticky eggs. In addition, changes in the distribution of salinity in estuaries and coastal waters caused by the closure of sluice indicated that the habitats of fish living in low-salinity areas would disappear. This study proposes an ecologically oriented multi-sluice system operation strategy that integrates the demands of fish with different living habits on environmental flow into the joint operation of a multi-sluice system to maintain different ecological functions throughout the Yongjiang River basin. The spawning habits of fish in the study area were investigated, and the differences in their adaptability to various hydrological factors were summarized. MIKE 21 model and PHABSIM were used to ascertain the environmental flow through the data of velocity, water depth, and salinity. Model predictions of the effective habitat were supplemented by the optimum selection, and the discharge of the Fenghua River was suggested to be 105 m3/s. Likewise, the survival salinity requirements revealed that the discharge of Yongjiang sluice should reach 250–300 m3/s. Results were used to design the joint ecological scheduling schemes, with the aiming of ensuring that the flow velocity of the entire migration channel can meet the requirements of facilitating the upstream movement of fish whilst keeping eggs floating. In the Considering the upstream ability of fish, the tidal law of the estuary and the planned discarded water of estuary sluice, it is suggested that during the spawning time, seven consecutive days of the ebb tide should be selected to carry out the joint operation of Fenghua, Yaojiang and Yongjiang River, and the flow constraint factors are 105, 100 and 250 m3/s, respectively.

In order to recover and utilize the potential energy of mining trucks efficiently, this paper proposes a nested optimization method of a novel energy storage system. By analyzing the multi-objective optimization problem of the oil-circulating hydro-pneumatic energy storage system, a nested optimization method based on the advanced adaptive Metamodel-based global optimization algorithm is carried out. Research shows that this method only requires a short time to solve the complex nonlinear hybrid optimization problem and achieves better results. The optimized energy storage system has higher system efficiency, energy density, and volume utilization rate, thus obtaining a smaller system volume and weight. Verified by the bench experiment of its powertrain, the hydro-pneumatic hybrid mining truck with the optimized energy storage system significantly reduces its fuel consumption and CO2 emission. Thus, it lays the foundation for the practical application of hydro-pneumatic hybrid mining trucks.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with a porous nano-structure, nitrogen vacancies, and oxygen-doping was prepared by the calcination method. Then, it was combined with ZnIn2S4 nanosheets containing zinc vacancies to construct a three-dimensional (3D) flower-like Z-scheme heterojunction (pCN-N/ZIS-Z), which was used for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and the degradation of mixed pollutants. The constructed Z-scheme heterojunction improved the efficiency of photogenerated charges separation and migration, and the large surface area and porous characteristics provided more active sites. Doping and defect engineering can change the bandgap structure to improve the utilization of visible light, and can also capture photogenerated electrons to inhibit recombination, so as to promote the use of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the photocatalytic redox process. Heterojunction and defect engineering synergized to form a continuous and efficient conductive operation framework, which achieves the hydrogen production of pCN-N/ZIS-Z (9189.8 µmol·h−1·g−1) at 58.9 times that of g-C3N4 (155.9 µmol·h−1·g−1), and the degradation rates of methyl orange and metronidazole in the mixed solution were 98.7% and 92.5%, respectively. Our research provides potential ideas for constructing a green and environmentally friendly Z-scheme heterojunction catalyst based on defect engineering to address the energy crisis and environmental restoration.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common heterogeneous reproductive endocrine metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age characterized by clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenemia, ovulation disorders, and polycystic ovarian morphology. Ferroptosis is a novel type of cell death driven by iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Ferroptosis plays a role in maintaining redox balance, iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, mitochondrial activity, and many other signaling pathways linked to diseases. Iron overload is closely related to insulin resistance, decreased glucose tolerance, and the occurrence of diabetes mellitus. There is limited research on the role of ferroptosis in PCOS. Patients with PCOS have elevated levels of ferritin and increased reactive oxygen species in ovarian GCs. Studying ferroptosis in PCOS patients is highly important for achieving personalized treatment. This article reviews the progress of research on ferroptosis in PCOS, introduces the potential connections between iron metabolism abnormalities and oxidative stress-mediated PCOS, and provides a theoretical basis for diagnosing and treating PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]