Study of Air Curtain in Context of Individual Protection from Exposure to Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Contained in Cough-Generated Fluid Particles

The ongoing respiratory COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the social and private lives of the majority of the global population. This infection is primarily transmitted via virus-laden fluid particles (i.e., droplets and aerosols) that are formed in the respiratory tract of infected individuals and expelled from the mouth in the course of breathing, talking, coughing, and sneezing. To mitigate the risk of virus transmission, in many places of the world, the public has been asked or even obliged to use face covers. It is plausible that in the years ahead we will see the use of face masks, face shields and respirators become a normal practice in our life. However, wearing face covers is uncomfortable in some situations, like, for example, in summer heat, while staying on beaches or at hotel swimming pools, doing exercises in gyms, etc. Also, most types of face cover become contaminated with time and need to be periodically replaced or disinfected. These nuisances are caused by the fact that face covers are based on material barriers, which prevent inward and outward propagation of aerosol and droplets containing the pathogen. Applying well established gas-particle flow formalism, we study a non-material based protection barrier created by a flow of well directed down stream of air across the front of the open face. The~protection is driven by dragging virus-laden particles inside the width of the air flow and hence, as a consequence, displacing them away from their primary trajectories. The study, shows that such, potentially portable, air curtains can effectively provide both inward and outward protection and serve as an effective personal protective equipment (PPE) mitigating human to human transmission of virus infection like COVID-19.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, version accepted for publication in Physics MDP

Orientation and symmetry control of inverse sphere magnetic nanoarrays by guided self-assembly

Inverse sphere shaped Ni arrays were fabricated by electrodeposition on Si through the guided self-assembly of polystyrene latex spheres in Si/SiO2 patterns. It is shown that the size commensurability of the etched tracks is critical for the long range ordering of the spheres. Moreover, noncommensurate guiding results in the reproducible periodic triangular distortion of the close packed self-assembly. Magnetoresistance measurements on the Ni arrays were performed showing room temperature anisotropic magnetoresistance of 0.85%. These results are promising for self-assembled patterned storage media and magnetoresistance devices

Three-dimensional light bullets in a Bragg medium with carbon nanotubes

We present a theoretical study of the propagation of three-dimensional extremely short electromagnetic pulses (a.k.a. light bullets) through a Bragg medium containing an immersed array of carbon nanotubes. We demonstrate the possible stable propagation of such light bullets. In particular, our results suggest these light bullets can carry information about the Bragg medium itself.Comment: To appear in Appl. Phys.

Verification of model of calculation of intra-chamber parameters in hybrid solid-propellant rocket engines

On the basis of obtained analytical estimate of characteristics of hybrid solid-propellant rocket engine verification of earlier developed physical and mathematical model of processes in a hybrid solid-propellant rocket engine for quasi-steady-state flow regime was performed. Comparative analysis of calculated and analytical data indicated satisfactory comparability of simulation results

Analysis of a hadron beam in five-dimensional phase space

We conduct a detailed measurement and analysis of a hadron beam in five-dimensional phase space at the Spallation Neutron Source Beam Test Facility. The measurement's resolution and dynamic range are sufficient to image sharp, high-dimensional features in low-density regions of phase space. To facilitate the complex task of feature identification in the five-dimensional phase space, we develop several analysis and visualization techniques, including non-planar slicing. We use these techniques to examine the transverse dependence of longitudinal hollowing and longitudinal dependence of transverse hollowing in the distribution. This analysis strengthens the claim that low-dimensional projections do not adequately characterize high-dimensional phase space distributions in low-energy hadron acceleratorsComment: 13 pages; 15 figures; submitted to Physical Review Accelerators and Beams (PRAB

Analytical estimation of particle shape formation parameters in a plasma-chemical reactor

Analytical estimation of particle shape formation parameters in a plasma-chemical reactor implementing the process of thermochemical decomposition of liquid droplet agents (precursors) in the flow of a hightemperature gaseous heat-transfer medium was obtained. The basic factor which determines the process is the increase of concentration of a dissolved salt precursor component at the surface of a liquid particle due to solvent evaporation. According to the physical concept of the method of integral balance the diffusion process of concentration change is divided into two stages: the first stage is when the size of gradient layer does not reach the center of a spherical droplet and the second stage when the concentration at the center of a liquid droplet begins to change. The solutions for concentration fields were found for each stage using the method of integral balance taking into account the formation of salt precipitate when the concentration at the surface of the droplet reaches certain equilibrium value. The results of estimation of the influence of various reactor operation parameters and characteristics of initial solution (precursor) on the morphology of particles formed - mass fraction and localization of salt precipitate for various levels of evaporation