Hazards of Radioactive Mineralization Associated with Pegmatites Used as Decorative and Building Material

The present study aimed to assess the radiological hazards associated with applying the investigated granite in the building materials and the infrastructures applications. The investigated granites are classified into four categories: El-Urf, barren, colourful and opaque. El Urf monzogran-ite intrudes metagabbro diorite complex with sharp contacts. Based on the activity concentrations, the environmental parameters such as absorbed dose rate (Dair), annual effective dose (AED), ra-dium equivalent activity (Raeq), external (Hex) and internal (Hin) hazard indices were measured. The mineralized pegmatite is located in the southwestern foothill of the Gabal El Urf younger granite. It displays well-defined zonation of three zones: outer, middle and inner zones represented by potash feldspar, quartz and mica, respectively. The isorad map showed that El Urf monzogranite is barren (Up to 100 cps) surrounding an excavation of the studied pegmatite that exhibits moderate colorful mineralization (phase-I = 500–1500 cps) and anomalous opaque mineralization (phase-II = 1500– 3500 cps) pegmatites. The obtained results of radionuclides activity concentrations illustrated that the Opaque granites have the highest values of238U (561 ± 127 Bq kg−1),232Th (4289 ± 891 Bq kg−1) and40K (3002 ± 446 Bq kg−1) in the granites, which are higher than the recommended worldwide average. Many of the radiological hazard parameters were lesser than the international limits in the younger granites and barren pegmatites. All of these parameters were higher in the colorful and opaque mineralized pegmatites. The high activity and the elevated radiological hazard parameters in the mineralized pegmatites are revised to the presence of radioactive and radioelements bearing minerals, such as thorite, meta-autunite, kasolite, phurcalite, columbite, fergusonite, Xenotime and fluorapatite. Other instances of mineralization were also recorded as cassiterite, atacamite, galena, pyrite and iron oxide minerals. Thus, the granites with high radioactivity concentration cannot be applied in the different applications of building materials and ornamental stones. © 2022 by the authors. Li-censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This research was funded by the Nuclear Materials Authority, Egypt. The APC was covered by “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, Romania, through grant no. RF3621/2021

Exome-wide association study to identify rare variants influencing COVID-19 outcomes : Results from the Host Genetics Initiative

Publisher Copyright: Copyright: © 2022 Butler-Laporte et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Host genetics is a key determinant of COVID-19 outcomes. Previously, the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative genome-wide association study used common variants to identify multiple loci associated with COVID-19 outcomes. However, variants with the largest impact on COVID-19 outcomes are expected to be rare in the population. Hence, studying rare variants may provide additional insights into disease susceptibility and pathogenesis, thereby informing therapeutics development. Here, we combined whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing from 21 cohorts across 12 countries and performed rare variant exome-wide burden analyses for COVID-19 outcomes. In an analysis of 5,085 severe disease cases and 571,737 controls, we observed that carrying a rare deleterious variant in the SARS-CoV-2 sensor toll-like receptor TLR7 (on chromosome X) was associated with a 5.3-fold increase in severe disease (95% CI: 2.75–10.05, p = 5.41x10-7). This association was consistent across sexes. These results further support TLR7 as a genetic determinant of severe disease and suggest that larger studies on rare variants influencing COVID-19 outcomes could provide additional insights.Peer reviewe

Magnetohydrodynamic Peristaltic Flow of Jeffry Nanofluid with Heat Transfer Through a Porous Medium in a Vertical Tube

The present paper deals with the peristaltic motion of a non-Newtonian nanofluid with heat transfer through a porous medium inside a vertical tube. The system is stressed by a uniform magnetic field. The viscous dissipation, internal heat generation with radiation effects are considered. A Rung-Kutta-Merson method and a Newton iteration in a shooting and matching technique are used to find the solutions of the momentum, temperature and nanoparticles equations. The numerical formula of the axial velocity, temperature and nanoparticles are obtained as functions of the physical parameters of the problem. Numerical calculations are carried out for these formula. The effects of physical parameters of the problem on this formula are discussed numerically and illustrated graphically througth a set of figures

Non-Linear Heat and Mass Transfer of Second Grade Fluid Flow with Hall Currents and Thermophoresis Effects

A mathematical model analysis has been developed to investigate the effect of thermophoresis on unsteady flow of non- Newtonian fluid with heat and mass transfer through a porous medium over a permeable infinite vertical plate. The considered non- Newtonian fluid follows a second grade model and is stressed by a uniform strong magnetic field; so the Hall currents are taken into consideration. The problem is modulated mathematically by a system of coupled non-linear partial differential equations which pertaining to describe the continuity, momentum, energy and concentration. These equations involve the effects of thermal radiation, heat generation, thermal diffusion(Soret), viscous dissipation and chemical reaction. The numerical solutions of the dimensionless equations are found as a functions of the physical parameters of this problem. The numerical formulas of the velocity components (u) and (w), temperature (q ) and concentration (C) as well as Nusselt number(Nu) and Sherwood number(Sh) are computed. The physical parameters effects of the problem on these formulas are described and illustrated graphically through some figures and tables

Effects of microwave heating on the thermal states of biological tissues

A mathematical analysis of microwave heating equations in one-dimensional multi-layer model has been discussed. Maxwell's equations and transient bioheat transfer equation were numerically calculated by using finite difference method to predict the effects of thermal physical properties on the transient temperature of biological tissues. This prediction of the temperature evolution in biological bodies can be used as an effective tool for thermal diagnostics in medical practice

Effect of Partial Slip on Peristaltic Flow of a Sisko Fluid with Mild Stenosis through a Porous Medium

This paper investigates the effect of partial slip on peristaltic flow of a Sisko fluid through a porous medium. The flow is streaming through a tapered artery having a mild stenosis. The influences of heat and chemical reactions on blood flow are also taken into account. The governing equations of motion, energy and concentration are simplified by using the long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximations. The analytical solutions of these equations are obtained by considering a perturbation technique for small non- Newtonian Sisko fluid parameter. The pressure rise and friction force are numerically calculated. The numerical calculations with the help of graphs are adopted to obtain the effects of several parameters, such as the slip parameter, permeability parameter, the taper angle, Brickmann number, Soret number and the maximum height of stenosis, upon the distributions of velocity, temperature, concentration, pressure rise and friction force. It is found that the axial velocity increases with the increase of slip parameter. Meanwhile, it decreases with the increase of permeability parameter. The stream lines are also depicted. It is observed that the trapped bolus increases in size with the increase of both the slip parameter and the maximum height of stenosis. The other results are also illustrated

Hazards of Radioactive Mineralization Associated with Pegmatites Used as Decorative and Building Material

The present study aimed to assess the radiological hazards associated with applying the investigated granite in the building materials and the infrastructures applications. The investigated granites are classified into four categories: El-Urf, barren, colourful and opaque. El Urf monzogranite intrudes metagabbro diorite complex with sharp contacts. Based on the activity concentrations, the environmental parameters such as absorbed dose rate (Dair), annual effective dose (AED), radium equivalent activity (Raeq), external (Hex) and internal (Hin) hazard indices were measured. The mineralized pegmatite is located in the southwestern foothill of the Gabal El Urf younger granite. It displays well-defined zonation of three zones: outer, middle and inner zones represented by potash feldspar, quartz and mica, respectively. The isorad map showed that El Urf monzogranite is barren (Up to 100 cps) surrounding an excavation of the studied pegmatite that exhibits moderate colorful mineralization (phase-I = 500–1500 cps) and anomalous opaque mineralization (phase-II = 1500–3500 cps) pegmatites. The obtained results of radionuclides activity concentrations illustrated that the Opaque granites have the highest values of 238U (561 ± 127 Bq kg−1), 232Th (4289 ± 891 Bq kg−1) and 40K (3002 ± 446 Bq kg−1) in the granites, which are higher than the recommended worldwide average. Many of the radiological hazard parameters were lesser than the international limits in the younger granites and barren pegmatites. All of these parameters were higher in the colorful and opaque mineralized pegmatites. The high activity and the elevated radiological hazard parameters in the mineralized pegmatites are revised to the presence of radioactive and radioelements bearing minerals, such as thorite, meta-autunite, kasolite, phurcalite, columbite, fergusonite, Xenotime and fluorapatite. Other instances of mineralization were also recorded as cassiterite, atacamite, galena, pyrite and iron oxide minerals. Thus, the granites with high radioactivity concentration cannot be applied in the different applications of building materials and ornamental stones

Unsteady MHD Non-Darcian Flow of a Casson Nanofluid Between Two Parallel Plates with Heat and Mass Transfer

The unsteady MHD Hartmann flow of an incompressible Casson nanofluid bounded by two stationery parallel horizontal plates in a porous medium is studied with heat and mass transfer. A non-Darcy model that obeys the Forchheimer extension is assumed for the characteristics of the porous medium. A uniform and constant pressure gradient is applied in the axial direction whereas a uniform suction and injection are applied in the direction normal to the plates. The two plates are kept at constant and different temperatures and the viscous and porous dissipations are not ignored in the energy equation. Moreover, the concentration of the nanoparticles at the lower plate level differs from that at the upper one, while, both are kept constants. The system of momentum, heat and concentration equations is solved numerically using the finite difference scheme under the appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The effects of the Hall current, the porosity of the medium, inertial damping force, the uniform (suction/ injection) velocity, the non-Newtonian Casson parameter, Hartmann number, Eckert number, Prandtl number, Lewis number, Brownian motion parameter and thermophoretic parameter on the fluid velocity, temperature and nanoparticles concentration distributions are investigate