Travelling-Wave Electrophoresis, Electro-Hydrodynamics, Electro-Rotation, and Symmetry- Breaking of a Polarizable Dimer in Non-Uniform Fields.

A theoretical framework is presented for calculating the polarization, electro-rotation, travelling-wave dielectrophoresis, electro-hydrodynamics and induced-charge electroosmotic flow fields around a freely suspended conducting dimer (two touching spheres) exposed to non-uniform direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) electric fields. The analysis is based on employing the classical (linearized) Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) formulation under the standard linearized 'weak-field' assumption and using the tangent-sphere coordinate system. Explicit expressions are first derived for the axisymmetric AC electric potential governed by the Robin (mixed) boundary condition applied on the dimer surface depending on the resistance-capacitance circuit (RC) forcing frequency. Dimer electro-rotation due to two orthogonal (out-of-phase) uniform AC fields and the corresponding mobility problem of a polarizable dimer exposed to a travelling-wave electric excitation are also analyzed. We present an explicit solution for the non-linear induced-charge electroosmotic (ICEO) flow problem of a free polarized dimer in terms of the corresponding Stokes stream function determined by the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity slip. Next, we demonstrate how the same framework can be used to obtain an exact solution for the electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) problem of a polarizable sphere lying next to a conducting planar electrode. Finally, we present a new solution for the induced-charge mobility of a Janus dimer composed of two fused spherical colloids, one perfectly conducting and one dielectrically coated. So far, most of the available electrokinetic theoretical studies involving polarizable nano/micro shapes dealt with convex configurations (e.g., spheres, spheroids, ellipsoids) and as such the newly obtained electrostatic AC solution for a dimer provides a useful extension for similar concave colloids and engineered particles.

A psychrometric model to assess the biological decay of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in aerosols.

There is increasing evidence that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has been influenced by variations in air temperature and humidity. However, the impact that these environmental parameters have on survival of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not been fully characterised. Therefore, an analytical study was undertaken using published data to develop a psychrometric model to assess the biological decay rate of the virus in aerosols. This revealed that it is possible to describe with reasonable accuracy (R 2 = 0.718, p < 0.001) the biological decay constant for the SARS-CoV-2 virus using a regression model with enthalpy, vapour pressure and specific volume as predictors. Applying this to historical meteorological data from London, Paris and Milan over the pandemic period, produced results which indicate that the average half-life of the virus in aerosols outdoors was in the region 13-22 times longer in March 2020, when the outbreak was accelerating, than it was in August 2020 when epidemic in Europe was at its nadir. However, indoors, this variation is likely to be much less. As such, this suggests that changes in virus survivability due the variations in the psychrometric qualities of the air might influence the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Upper-room ultraviolet air disinfection might help to reduce COVID-19 transmission in buildings: a feasibility study.

As the world's economies come out of the lockdown imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need for technologies to mitigate COVID-19 transmission in confined spaces such as buildings. This feasibility study looks at one such technology, upper-room ultraviolet (UV) air disinfection, that can be safely used while humans are present in the room space, and which has already proven its efficacy as an intervention to inhibit the transmission of airborne diseases such as measles and tuberculosis. Using published data from various sources, it is shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of COVID-19, is highly likely to be susceptible to UV-C damage when suspended in air, with a UV susceptibility constant likely to be in the region 0.377-0.590 m2/J, similar to that for other aerosolised coronaviruses. As such, the UV-C flux required to disinfect the virus is expected to be acceptable and safe for upper-room applications. Through analysis of expected and worst-case scenarios, the efficacy of the upper-room UV-C approach for reducing COVID-19 transmission in confined spaces (with moderate but sufficient ceiling height) is demonstrated. Furthermore, it is shown that with SARS-CoV-2, it should be possible to achieve high equivalent air change rates using upper-room UV air disinfection, suggesting that the technology might be particularly applicable to poorly ventilated spaces.

Simulation of the upper urinary system.

The ureter and its peristalsis motions have long been of significant interest in biomechanics. In this article we review experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies of the behavior of the ureter together with its mechanical properties, emphasizing studies that contain information of importance in building a virtual simulation tool of the complete ureter that includes its complex geometry, nonlinear material properties, and interaction with urine flow. A new technique to model the contraction of a ureter, which directly applies wall forces to model pacemaker activities, is presented. The required further steps to capture the full complex movement of the peristalsis are discussed, aiming to construct a computational platform that will provide a reliable tool to assist in the investigation and design of material devices (stents) for the renal system.

Sound scattering by free surface piercing and fluid-loaded cylindrical shells.

A vertical flexible, thin, cylindrical shell is considered to be clamped to a rigid base in shallow water and piercing its surface. The shell is composed of an isotropic and homogeneous material and may be empty inside or filled with compressible fluid. Linear acoustics and structural dynamics are used to model sound scattering caused by an external incident sound wave. A solution is derived using a Fourier transform in the tangential and vertical directions. A collocation technique coupled with an orthogonalization procedure is used to account for the edge conditions of the shell. It is shown that zero sound scattering, indicating acoustic invisibility, is theoretically attainable and can be achieved when a continuous distribution of an oscillating pressure load is applied on the shell's wall. Similarly, zero sound transmission into the shell's inner fluid can also be considered. The possibility of using a pre-determined discrete distribution of the applied pressure load is also discussed. The derived equations are numerically solved to examine sound scattering by a thin aluminium shell in shallow water.