Temporal trend of drug overdose-related deaths and excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study in the United States from 2012 to 2022.

Background: Drug overdose is an escalating public health crisis in the United States (U.S.).

Unleashing the power of AI in science-key considerations for materials data preparation.

The release of ChatGPT has triggered global attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and AI for science is thus becoming a hot topic in the scientific community. When we think about unleashing the power of AI to accelerate scientific research, the question coming to our mind first is whether there is a continuous supply of highly available data at a sufficiently large scale.

Rational Design of Deep Learning Networks Based on a Fusion Strategy for Improved Material Property Predictions.

The success of machine learning in predicting material properties is largely dependent on the design of the model. However, the current designs of deep learning models in materials science have the following prominent problems. First, the model design lacks a rational guidance strategy and heavily relies on a large amount of trial and error.

Evaluationof compact air-induction flat fan nozzles for herbicide applications: Spray drift and biological efficacy.

Nozzles are the most critical component of a sprayer for pesticide applications. Recently, air-induction nozzles and twin flat-fan air-induction nozzles have started to be used for herbicide applications. In order to evaluate the potential of compact air-induction nozzles for herbicide spraying, this paper compares the effects of air-induction nozzles and standard flat-fan nozzles on spray atomization, deposition, drift, and weed control efficacy in maize and wheat.

Promotion strategy for online healthcare platform during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Spring Rain Doctor in China.

Introduction: Online healthcare platform (OHP) is a new form of medical treatment that solves the problems of an unbalanced distribution of medical resources in China. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, OHP has greatly reduced the medical pressure of the hospital and the risk of cross-infection.

Methods: Based on self-determination theory (SDT) (Ryan and Deci, 2000), privacy calculus theory (PCT) (Culnan, 1999) and perceived value theory (PVT) (Choi, 2004), this study uses evolutionary game theory to analyze behavioral strategies and their dynamic evolution in the promotion of OHP.

Design and development of orchard autonomous navigation spray system.

Driven by the demand for efficient plant protection in orchards, the autonomous navigation system for orchards is hereby designed and developed in this study. According to the three modules of unmanned system "perception-decision-control," the environment perception and map construction strategy based on 3D lidar is constructed for the complex environment in orchards. At the same time, millimeter-wave radar is further selected for multi-source information fusion for the perception of obstacles.

Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Visible Detection of Human Brucellosis Based on Blue Silica Nanoparticles.

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis chronic infectious disease with a strong latent capability to endanger human health and economic development direct or indirect ways. However, the existing methods for brucellosis diagnosis are time-consuming and expensive as they require a tedious experimental procedure and a sophisticated experimental device and performance. To overcome these defects, it is truly necessary to establish a real-time, on-site, and rapid detection method for human brucellosis.

Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial community in selected municipal and industrial sewage treatment plants beside Poyang Lake.

Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are significant reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Municipal STPs (MSTPs) and industrial STPs (ISTPs) are the two most important STP types in cities. In this study, the ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and bacterial communities of selected STPs, including two MSTPs and one ISTP, in the vicinity of Poyang Lake were comprehensively investigated through high-throughput qPCR and high-throughput Illumina sequencing.

High-throughput investigation of crystal-to-glass transformation of Ti-Ni-Cu ternary alloy.

A high-throughput investigation of metallic glass formation via solid-state reaction was reported in this paper. Combinatorial multilayered thin-film chips covering the entire Ti-Ni-Cu ternary system were prepared using ion beam sputtering technique. Microbeam synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements were conducted, with 1,325 data points collected from each chip, to map out the composition and the phase constitution before and after annealing at 373 K for 110 hours.

Mesoporous SnMgNd substituted M-hexaferrite catalyzed heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like activity for degradation of methylene blue.

Emerging pollutants and industrial waste dyes are significantly increasing with the development of new industries. The development of nano-composites are getting more attention in this regard due to their unique properties. Here in barium M-hexaferrites with novel composition BaFe(SnMg)NdO (SMN) was synthesized as heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like system for the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB).

Microstructural Characterization and Phase Diagram Calculation of a Less Known Al-Fe-Mn-Si Phase in a SiCp/2014Al Composite.

A systematic characterization of a less known Al, Fe, Mn, and Si phase in a SiC particulate-reinforced 2014Al composite (SiCp/2014Al) was performed. In addition to the expected CuAl2 phase, the Al, Fe, Mn, and Si phase was formed as either an adhesion (>1 µm) onto SiC in the as-cast composite, or as a precipitate (<100 nm) in the matrix after hot extrusion. The structure of the phase was identified as cubic by both X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction (SAED).

Rapid Construction of Fe-Co-Ni Composition-Phase Map by Combinatorial Materials Chip Approach.

One hundred nanometer thick Fe-Co-Ni material chips were prepared and isothermally annealed at 500, 600, and 700 °C, respectively. Pixel-by-pixel composition and structural mapping was performed by microbeam X-ray at synchrotron light source. Diffraction images were recorded at a rate of 1 pattern/s.

Experimental study on viscosity reduction for residual oil by ultrasonic.

Because of characteristics of large density, high viscosity and poor mobility, the processing and transportation of residual oil are difficult and challenging, viscosity reduction of residual oil is of great significance. In this paper, the effects of different placement forms of ultrasonic transducers on the sound pressure distribution of ultrasonic inside a cubic container have been simulated, the characteristics of oil bath heating and ultrasonic viscosity reduction were compared, viscosity reduction rule of residual oil was experimentally analyzed by utilizing Response Surface Method under conditions of changing ultrasonic exposure time, power and action mode, the mechanism of viscosity reduction was studied by applying Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, the viscosity retentivity experiment was carried out at last. Experiments were conducted using two kinds of residual oil, and results show that ultrasonic effect on the viscosity reduction of residual oil is significant, the higher viscosity of residual oil, the better effect of ultrasonic, ultrasonic power and exposure time are the significant factors affecting the viscosity reduction rate of residual oil.

[Study on the interaction mechanism of antimicrobial peptide Cecropin-XJ in Xinjiang silkworm and Staphylococcus aureus DNA by spectra].

Nowadays many of antimicrobial peptides have been extensively studied in order to elucidate their antimicrobial mode of action. Much of the research focused on mechanisms of cytoplasmic membrane disruption has been proposed for antimicrobial peptides, but it is not known whether their antimicrobial mode of action is due to their effects on bacterial chromosome. To obtain more information about the possible mechanisms, Cecropin-XJ, a kind of antimicrobial peptide from Xinjiang silkworm, was used as subject and prepared by purification of Pichia yeast fermentation containing cecropin-XJ gene expression product.