Exploration of influenza incidence prediction model based on meteorological factors in Lanzhou, China, 2014-2017.

Humans are susceptible to influenza. The influenza virus spreads quickly and behave seasonally. The seasonality and spread of influenza are often associated with meteorological factors and have spatio-temporal differences. Based on the influenza cases and daily average meteorological factors in Lanzhou from 2014 to 2017, this study firstly aimed to analyze the characteristics of influenza incidence in Lanzhou and the impact of meteorological factors on influenza activities. Then, SARIMA(X) models for the prediction were established. The influenza cases in Lanzhou from 2014 to 2017 was more male than female, and the younger the age, the higher the susceptibility; the epidemic characteristics showed that there is a peak in winter, a secondary peak in spring, and a trough in summer and autumn. The influenza cases in Lanzhou increased with increasing daily pressure, decreasing precipitation, average relative humidity, hours of sunshine, average daily temperature and average daily wind speed. Low temperature was a significant driving factor for the increase of transmission intensity of seasonal influenza. The SARIMAX (1,0,0)(1,0,1)[12] multivariable model with average temperature has better prediction performance than the university model. This model is helpful to establish an early warning system, and provide important evidence for the development of influenza control policies and public health interventions.

Self-propelled chemically-powered plant-tissue biomotors.

Self-propelled biocatalytic motors based on plant tissues are described. The tissue motors rely on their rich catalase activity towards biocatalytic decomposition of the H2O2 fuel and generation of the bubble thrust. These biomotors obviate the need for pure enzymes, and offer a remarkably low cost, good lifetime and thermostability.

Tunable hierarchical macro/mesoporous gold microwires fabricated by dual-templating and dealloying processes.

Tailor-made highly ordered macro/mesoporous hierarchical metal architectures have been created by combining sphere lithography, membrane template electrodeposition and alloy-etching processes. The new double-template preparation route involves the electrodeposition of Au/Ag alloy within the interstitial (void) spaces of polystyrene (PS) microspheres which are closely packed within the micropores of a polycarbonate membrane (PC), followed by dealloying of the Ag component and dissolution of the microsphere and membrane templates. The net results of combining such sphere lithography and silver etching is the creation of highly regular three-dimensional macro/mesoporous gold architecture with well-controlled sizes and shapes. The morphology and porosity of the new hierarchical porous structures can be tailored by controlling the preparation conditions, such as the composition of the metal mixture plating solution, the size of the microspheres template, or the dealloying time. Such tunable macro/mesoporous hierarchical structures offer control of the electrochemical reactivity and of the fuel mass transport, as illustrated for the enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen-peroxide detection. The new double templated electrodeposition method provides an attractive route for preparing highly controllable multiscale porous materials and diverse morphologies based on different materials and hence holds considerable promise for designing electrocatalytic or bioelectrocatalytic surfaces for a variety sensing and energy applications.

Seawater-driven magnesium based Janus micromotors for environmental remediation.

We describe the use of seawater as fuel to propel Janus micromotors. The new micromotors consist of biodegradable and environmentally friendly magnesium microparticles and a nickel-gold bilayer patch for magnetic guidance and surface modification. Such seawater-driven micromotors, which utilize macrogalvanic corrosion and chloride pitting corrosion processes, eliminate the need for external fuels to offer efficient and prolonged propulsion towards diverse applications in aquatic environments.