RAPID: Fluid Dynamic Driving Mechanisms of Airborne Pathogen Transmission and Control

RAPID：空气传播病原体传播和控制的流体动力驱动机制

• 批准号: 2031227
• 负责人: Michael Kinzel
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-15 至 2022-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2031227&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Fluid; Dynamic; Driving; Mechanisms

Airborne transmitted pathogens such as COVID-19 have caused large scale infections, death, health system overloads, and severe economic damage. Such airborne transmission paths can be associated with droplets ejected from natural human respiratory functions such as sneezing, coughing, speaking, and breathing. Even in the context of social distancing and face masks, there are several essential functions associated with hospitals, grocery stores, transit, and other essential confined workplaces that force interactions and fuel pathogen transmission. One potential method to reduce the transmission of airborne pathogens is to reduce the number of small droplets formed from the human respiratory function. It is generally known that small droplets (such as fog, mist, etc.) can remain suspended for long time periods. Such droplets enable transmitting pathogens for long time periods. Since large droplets (such as rain) are prone to fall from the air, pathogens in these droplets are less susceptible to airborne transmission paths. The aim of this research is to alter the host’s fluid properties such that droplets formed during human respiratory functions remain larger, travel shorter distances, and fall reducing the propensity for airborne transmission. The project seeks to quantify the droplet character formed during human respiratory function when the host’s saliva properties are altered. Simple fluids-related solutions associated with altering the fluid properties of the host such as formulated confections (lozenges/gum/candy) will change saliva droplet breakup modes resulting in larger droplets that travel shorter distances and fall. The aim is to understand how fluid properties can reduce metrics associated with a pathogen’s airborne transmission path. During the human respiratory function, droplets are formed through complex processes driven by a pulsed, turbulent jet with many underlying interfacial instabilities. These processes have not been studied from the aspect of altering the host’s salvia fluid properties. The project will develop this knowledge gap using a combination of experiments and numerical predictions oriented around answering three specific studies: (i) Understanding the role of viscosity and surface tension in droplet characteristics, (ii) Evaluating how aerating saliva alters droplet characteristics, and (iii) Determining safe compounds that reduce airborne transmission while remaining comfortable to a person. In addressing these scientific questions, this effort aims to develop a new tool to reduce the transmissibility of COVID-19 (and other airborne pathogens). The effort is tailored to inform the public, scientists, and engineers (through press, fast-track publications, and professional meetings) of the developed science within a timeline that enables product development and wide-scale implementation that supports the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

新冠肺炎等通过空气传播的病原体已造成大规模感染、死亡、卫生系统超载和严重的经济损失。这种空气传播途径可能与人类自然呼吸功能(如打喷嚏、咳嗽、说话和呼吸)喷出的飞沫有关。即使在社交距离和口罩的背景下，也有几个与医院、杂货店、交通工具和其他基本的受限工作场所相关的基本功能，这些功能迫使相互作用并助长病原体传播。减少空气传播病原体的一个可能的方法是减少人体呼吸功能形成的小液滴的数量。众所周知，小水滴(如雾、雾等)可以长时间保持暂停状态。这样的飞沫能够长时间传播病原体。由于大液滴(如雨)容易从空气中落下，这些液滴中的病原体不太容易受到空气传播路径的影响。这项研究的目的是改变宿主的流体特性，使在人类呼吸功能过程中形成的液滴保持较大的体积，移动距离较短，并降低通过空气传播的倾向。该项目旨在量化当宿主的唾液特性发生变化时，人类呼吸功能过程中形成的液滴特征。与改变宿主流体属性相关的简单流体相关解决方案，如配方糖果(含片/口香糖/糖果)将改变唾液滴的分解模式，导致较大的液滴传播距离较短并坠落。其目的是了解流体特性如何减少与病原体的空气传播路径相关的指标。在人类呼吸功能过程中，液滴是在脉冲湍流射流的驱动下通过复杂的过程形成的，具有许多潜在的界面不稳定性。这些过程还没有从改变宿主丹参液性质的角度进行研究。该项目将通过实验和数值预测相结合的方式，围绕回答三项具体研究来解决这一知识差距：(I)了解粘度和表面张力在液滴特性中的作用，(Ii)评估充气唾液如何改变液滴特性，以及(Iii)确定在保持人体舒适性的同时减少空气传播的安全化合物。为了解决这些科学问题，这项努力旨在开发一种新的工具，以降低新冠肺炎(和其他空气传播的病原体)的传播率。该奖项旨在让公众、科学家和工程师(通过新闻、快速出版物和专业会议)在支持2020年新冠肺炎大爆炸的产品开发和大规模实施的时间内，向公众、科学家和工程师通报发达科学。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。