Global and temporal COVID-19 risk evaluation

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented crisis across the world, with many countries struggling with the pandemic. In order to understand how each country is impacted by the virus and assess the risk on a global scale we present a regression based analysis using two pre-existing indexes, namely the Inform and Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index, in conjunction with the number of elderly living in the population. Further we introduce a temporal layer in our modeling by incorporating the stringency level employed by each country over a period of 6 time intervals. Our results show that the indexes and level of stringency are not ideally suited for explaining variation in COVID-19 risk, however the ratio of elderly in the population is a stand out indicator in terms of its predictive power for mortality risk. In conclusion, we discuss how such modeling approaches can assist public health policy

On the Flow of Generalized Burgers' Fluid Induced by Sawtooth Pulses

This paper presents a study for the MHD flow of an incompressible generalized Burgers' fluid through a rectangular duct in porous medium. The flow is generated due to the velocity sawtooth pulses applied on the duct. Exact solutions of the governing equations are obtained by using the Laplace transform and double finite Fourier sine transform in this order. The obtained solutions satisfy all the initial and boundary conditions and are written as a sum of steady and transient solutions. Graphs are plotted for both developing and retarding flows. The effects of magnetic parameter, porosity parameter, and various parameters of interest on the flow characteristics are discussed. The problem reduces to the flow between two plates in the absence of side walls

CuO and CeO2 Nanostructures Green Synthesized Using Olive Leaf Extract Inhibits the Growth of Highly Virulent Multidrug Resistant Bacteria

One of the major challenges of nano-biotechnology is to engineer potent antimicrobial nanostructures (NS) with high biocompatibility. Keeping this in view, we have performed aqueous olive leaf extract mediated one pot facile synthesis of CuO-NS and CeO2-NS. Prepared NS were homogenous, less than 26 nm in size, and small crystallite units as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of CuO-NS and CeO2-NS showed typical Cu-O prints around 592–660 cm-1 and Ce-O bond vibrations at 453 cm-1. The successful capping of CuO-NS and CeO2-NS by compounds present in the plant extract was further validated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Active phyto-chemicals from the leaf extract simultaneously acted as strong reducing as well as capping agent in the NS synthesis. NS engineered in the present study showed antibacterial potential at extremely low concentration against highly virulent multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative strains (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), alarmed by World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, CuO-NS and CeO2-NS did not show any cytotoxicity on HEK-293 cell lines and Brine shrimp larvae indicating that the NS green synthesized in the present study are biocompatible

Diagnostic Accuracy of Serum Hepatitis B Virus DNA Levels and ALT for Liver Fibrosis

Background: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of combined serum HBV DNA and serum ALT levels for significant liver fibrosis in chronic Hepatitis B patients.Methods: In this cross sectional study confirmed cases of Hepatitis B were enrolled. Inclusion criteria was age more than 20 and both genders, while those cases who had history of Hep C or were on treatment of Hep B were excluded. Patients’samples were taken for HBV DNA and ALT to predict the presence of liver fibrosis.Results: Out of total 130 cases, there were 72 (54.5%) males with a mean age of 43.78± 10.28 years. The results of HBV DNA + ALT showed 51 (38.6%) patients to have fibrosis, whereas endoscopic diagnosis of esophageal varices was confirmed in 40 (30.3%) patients.Sensitivity of HBV DNA + ALT for diagnosis of fibrosis was found to be 55%, specificity 66.6%and diagnostic accuracy 65%.Conclusion: Combined HBV DNA & ALT values can be advised as predictor of liver fibrosis

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Investigations of Parvovirus Disease in Tibetan Pigs: First Report from Tibet

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) disease is a worldwide spread animal disease with high infection rate and serious impact on meat economy causing significant losses in livestock production. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the regional seroprevalence of PPV in Tibetan pigs in Tibet and evaluate risk factors related to the disease. A total of 356 serum samples of Tibetan pigs were collected from four counties and districts in Tibet, and anti-PPV antibodies were detected by using a commercial competitive ELISA. Our results show a seroprevalence of 91.01% (324 serum samples were found to be positive for anti-PPV antibodies). The positive rate among different district was 100%, 96.55%, 93.68% and 72.83%, respectively in the Mainling County, in Bayi district, Nang County and Bomê County. We found significant differences between different age and gender groups; particularly female animals show a seroprevalence of 96.03% while the males only 83.46%. From the perspective of the growth stage, our results indicate that subadults show a seroprevalence significative higher than other age groups (100%). This study describes for the first time the PPV seroprevalence among Tibetan pigs characterizing risk factors involved in its transmission and providing information to be taken into account for eventual surveillance or eradication plans

Heat and Mass Transfer Analysis of MHD Jeffrey Fluid over a Vertical Plate with CPC Fractional Derivative

Free convection flow of non-Newtonian fluids over flat, heated surfaces is an important natural phenomenon that also occurs in human-made engineering processes under various physical and mechanical situations. In the current study, the free convection magnetohydrodynamic flow of Jeffrey fluid with heat and mass transfer over an infinite vertical plate is examined. Mathematical modeling is performed using Fourier’s and Fick’s laws, and heat and momentum equations have been obtained. The non-dimensional partial differential equations for energy, mass, and velocity fields are determined using the Laplace transform method in a symmetric manner. Later on, the Laplace transform method is employed to evaluate the results for the temperature, concentration, and velocity fields with the support of Mathcad software. The governing equations, as well as the initial and boundary conditions, satisfy these results. The impacts of fractional and physical characteristics have been shown by graphical illustrations. The obtained fractionalized results are generalized by a more decaying nature. By taking the fractional parameter β,γ→1, the classical results with the ordinary derivatives are also recovered, making this a good direction for symmetry analysis. The present work also has applications with engineering relevance, such as heating and cooling processes in nuclear reactors, the petrochemical sector, and hydraulic apparatus where the heat transfers through a flat surface. Moreover, the magnetized fluid is also applicable for controlling flow velocity fluctuations

Facile biosynthesis of Ag-NPs using Otostegia limbata plant extract: Physical characterization and auspicious biological activities

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) synthesized through reduction by Otostegia limbata green extract are, hereby, reported for the first time. It is very interesting to observe that in this case, O. limbata plant extract acts as a strong chelating agent in Ag-NPs formation through AgNO3. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies expose that Ag-NPs formation is highly homogenous and spherical with mean particle size of 32±0.8 nm. A typical Ag absorption peak has been observed at 419 nm by ultra violet (UV)-visible spectroscopy which have endorsed the successful formation of single phase Ag-NPs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) examination further validates the crystalline pure phase structure of Ag-NPs. Promising results have been recorded against protein kinase inhibition assay and antibacterial assay having prominent pathogenic strains. Our present study explores that biosynthesized eco-friendly Ag-NPs have great potential, in the future, for anticancer drug development with wide range pharmaceutical applications