Two New Families of Quadratic APN Functions

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Five-Year Analysis of Lightning Activities in Different Climatic Regions of Sichuan Province, China

Sichuan is a high-incidence area of thunderstorm activity in China. Based on the data of the total lightning location system from 2018 to 2022, the total lightning, cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning, and intracloud (IC) lightning activity regularity for the Sichuan province (SC) and its three climate subregions: Sichuan Basin (SB), Panxi district (PD), and West Sichuan Plateau (WSP) are analyzed, and the influences of different climate and topography conditions on lightning activities are also discussed. The results show that (1) for the whole province, the annual mean value of total lightning is about 850 thousand. The SB has the most lightning occurrences, and the WSP has the largest IC and +CG proportion. The southwest of PD, the north-center of PD, and the southeast of SB are the three high-value centers of lightning density. (2) For SB, the better thermodynamic and moisture conditions account for the most lightning occurrences. For PD, the lightning distribution is attributed to the joint effect of specific meteorological conditions and mountainous topography. For WSP, the convections are weak and shallow, which lead to high IC and +CG proportion. (3) The IC lightning mainly occurs below 12 km, and the IC height is much lower on WSP. The spatial and seasonal variation of IC height corresponds well to the cloud base height (CBH) and cloud top height (CTH). (4) The seasonal lightning frequency distribution in the three regions is similar, but the diurnal variation is quite different. The lightning activity mainly occurs between 1400 and 2200 LT on WSP but shows obvious nocturnal in SB. (5) Most CG intensity concentrates in the range below 50 kA, and IC concentrates in the range below 75 kA

Laminar Burning Characteristics of Two Rice-Husk-Derived Biofuels

Biomass-derived fuels are emerging alternatives to fossil fuels because of their renewability and better carbon balance. Fuel researchers from Zhejiang University have developed and improved a catalytic method of converting rice husk to biofuels mainly composed of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and acetone. Optimization of the catalytic production process so that the final fuel has good combustion characteristics is something that requires detailed investigation. This study evaluates the laminar burning features of two fuels produced by the catalytic reaction. These two fuels are ETEAAC211 and ETEAAC121 (ETEAAC211, 50 vol % ethanol, 25 vol % ethyl acetate, and 25 vol % acetone; ETEAAC121, 25 vol % ethanol, 50 vol % ethyl acetate, and 25 vol % acetone). The experiment was conducted in outward propagating spherical flames at T0 of 358 K, P0 of 0.1 MPa, and equivalence ratios (ϕ) of 0.7–1.4. Moreover, the flame intrinsic hydrodynamic and thermal diffusion instabilities are assessed and discussed. It was noticed that the peak laminar burning velocity of the fuels occurred at ϕ of 1.1. The hydrodynamic instability reached its peak at ϕ of 1.1 as a result of the thin flame thickness and the high density ratio of burned/unburned mixtures. The Markstein length decreased with the equivalence ratio. However, the Markstein length decreased below zero at ϕ of 1.4 for ethyl acetate and ETEAAC121, showing the increased thermal diffusion instability as the equivalence ratio increases

Protecting Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective. To understand how to implement proactive prevention measures among healthcare professionals for preventing potential nosocomial infection. Methods. 91 healthcare professionals confirmed with the COVID-19 infection were collected, and clinical characteristics and epidemiological data were evaluated. Results. Among the cases, 77 cases (84.6%) were confirmed by the viral nucleic acid test, and the other 14 cases were diagnosed by the clinical investigation. Ground glass opacity and bilateral shadows distribution were observed in 78 cases (85.6%). 56 cases (61.5%) were admitted into Zhongnan Hospital and subjected to antiviral treatment. 73 of a total of 91 cases (80.2%) with a median incubation period of 3 days (IQR, 2 to 6) reported close contact history with patients with the COVID-19 infection. The most common symptoms at the onset of illness were fever (66 cases, 72.5%) and cough (54 cases, 59.3%). The initial positive rate of the CT scan and RT-PCR assay were 84.6% and 48.4%, respectively (P<0.01). There were 50 cases occurred during the early stage (before Jan 20, 2020), whereas 41 cases occurred at a late stage (after Jan 20, 2020). In the early stage, the most common route of exposure to COVID-19 was via direct care in the absence of any invasive procedure. By contrast, 37 healthcare professionals infected with COVID-19 in the late stage were confirmed to have been exposed via aerosol-generating procedures. Conclusion. Identification of the asymptomatic individuals in healthcare settings and prompt response when a suspicious case is considered may render effective control of the nosocomial infection during this pandemic

Si-Wu-Tang Alleviates Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease via Blocking TLR4-JNK and Caspase-8-GSDMD Signaling Pathways

Background. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has high global prevalence; however, the treatments of NAFLD are limited due to lack of approved drugs. Methods. Mice were randomly assigned into three groups: Control group, NAFLD group, NAFLD plus Si-Wu-Tang group. A NAFLD mice model was established by feeding with a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet for four weeks. Si-Wu-Tang was given orally by gastric gavage at the beginning of 3rd week, and it lasted for two weeks. The treatment effects of Si-Wu-Tang were confirmed by examining the change of body weight, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels, Oil Red O staining, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of the liver samples and accompanied by steatosis grade scores. The expression and activation of the possible signaling proteins involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD were determined by western blotting. Results. Mice fed with four weeks of MCD diet displayed elevated serum levels of ALT and AST, while there was decreased body weight. The hepatic Oil Red O staining and H&E staining showed severe liver steatosis with high steatosis grade scores. All these can be improved by treating with Si-Wu-Tang for two weeks. Mechanistically, the increased hepatic TLR4 expression and its downstream JNK phosphorylation induced by MCD diet were suppressed by Si-Wu-Tang. Moreover, the upregulations of Caspase-8, gasdermin D (GSDMD), and cleaved-GSDMD in liver mediated by MCD diet were all inhibited by Si-Wu-Tang. Conclusions. Treatment with Si-Wu-Tang improves MCD diet-induced NAFLD in part via blocking TLR4-JNK and Caspase-8-GSDMD signaling pathways, suggesting that Si-Wu-Tang has potential for clinical application in treating NAFLD