Sneezing speed is shown for four types of nose and mouth. A) there is an open nasal passage with teeth, b) there is an open nasal passage without teeth, c) a nasal obstruction without teeth is blocked, and d) a nasal obstruction with teeth is blocked. Credit: University of Central Florida
According to a new study, sneezes travel about 60% of people who have a runny nose and a full set of teeth.
New research from the University of Central Florida has identified physical features that could make people super virus-like. COVID-19.
In a study published in the Journal this month The physics of fluids, Researchers at UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering used computer-generated model models to simulate numerical sneezing in a variety of people and the connection between people’s physical features and how far their sneeze drops traveled to survive in the air.
They found that people’s features, such as a blocked nose or a whole bunch of teeth, could increase their chances of spreading the virus by affecting how far the dot travels when they sneeze.
U.S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention According to the centers, the main way people become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets such as sneezing and coughing.
Michael Kinzel, an assistant professor and study co-author of UCF’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, says the impact of how these droplets travel can inform the efforts to control their spread more effectively.
“This is the first study aimed at understanding the ‘why’ of how far sneezes travel,” says Kinzel. “We show that the human body has influencers, such as a complex duct system associated with nasal flow, which It really interrupts the jet from your mouth and prevents it from scattering drops. “
For example, when people have a clear nose, such as by blowing it into a tissue, the speed and distance of sneezing travel decreases, according to the study.
This is because a clear nose provides a way out of the mouth in addition to sneezing. But when people’s noses are congested, the area where sneezing can occur is restricted, thus expelling sneezing drops from the mouth increases the speed.
Similarly, the teeth also restrict the exit area of the sneeze and increase the speed of the drops.
Says Kinzel, “The teeth create a compressing effect in the jet which makes it stronger and more unstable. “They really look to run the transmission. So, if you see someone without teeth, you can really expect a weak jet from sneezing at them. “
To study, the researchers used 3D modeling and numerical simulation to recreate four types of mouth and nose: a person with teeth and a clear nose; A person without teeth and a clear nose; A person with teeth and a stuffy nose; And a man with teeth and a congested nose.
When they simulated sneezing in different models, they found that when a person has a congested nose and a whole bunch of teeth, the spray distance of the drops is reduced when it is about 60 percent greater than when not.
The results suggest that when one keeps their nose clear, such as by blowing into tissues, they reduce the travel of their insects.
The researchers also mimicked three types of saliva: thin, medium and thick.
They found that as a result of thin saliva the pores are made up of small drops, which make a spray and stay in the air longer than medium and thick saliva.
For example, three seconds after sneezing, when thick saliva was reaching the ground and therefore its risk was decreasing, thin saliva was still floating in the air as a potential disease transmitter.
This work works back with the researchers ’project to create a drop of covid-19 cuff that gives people ga thick saliva to reduce distance drops from sneezing or coughing, and therefore reduces the likelihood of disease-infection.
These findings provide a novel insight into the variation of exposure distances and suggest how physical factors affect transmissibility rates, says UCF’s associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and co-author of the study.
“The results show that the exposure level is highly dependent on fluid dynamics which can vary depending on different human features,” says Ahmed. “Such features may be the underlying factors driving hypertensive events in the COVID-19 epidemic.”
The researchers say they hope to move on to further clinical studies to compare the simulation findings of real people from diverse backgrounds.
The study co-authors were Douglas Fontes, a postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study with the Florida Space Institute, and Jonathan Reyes, a researcher in UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Fonts says that to further the study’s findings, the research team wants to investigate the interactions between gas flow, mucus film and tissue structures within the upper respiratory tract during respiratory events.
“Statistical models and experimental techniques should work together to accurately predict primary rupture within the upper respiratory tract during those events,” he says.
“This research will likely provide information for more accurate safety measures and solutions to reduce pathogen transmission, which will provide better conditions for dealing with common diseases or future epidemics.”
Reference: d. Fontes, j. Rez, K. Ahmed and M. By Kinzel, 12 November 2020, “A study of the dynamics of fluid and the factors that cause sneezing to disperse anyone from human sneezing.” The physics of fluids.
DOI: 10.1063 / 5.0032006
This work was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Kinzel holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University and joined UCF in 2018. In addition to being a member of UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, he also works at UCF’s Center for the UCF’s Engineering and Computer Science portion. Advanced Turbo Machinery and Energy Research.
Ahmed is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCF, a faculty member of the Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research Center, and the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion. He served for more than three years as a senior aero / thermo engineer in Pratt and Whitney’s military engines working on advanced engine programs and technologies. He also served as an Old Dominion University and faculty member Florida State University. At UCF, he is leading research in propulsion and energy with research related to power generation and gas-turbine engines, propulsion-jet engines, hypersonics and fire safety, as well as research related to supernova science and COVID-19 transmission control. He received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Office Fee of the US Air Force Research Laboratory and Naval Research Faculty Fellow.
