[ad_1]
Researchers have identified biological characteristics that could make a person a Covid-19 super speaker.
The researchers used computer-generated models and simulated sneezing in different types of people.
The study, published in the journal Fluid physics, determined associations between people’s physiological characteristics and the distance traveled by the sneezing droplets and their permanence in the air.
Results
According to the study authors, people’s characteristics, such as a stuffy nose or a full set of teeth, could amplify their potential for spreading the viruses.
“This is the first study that aims to understand the ‘why’ behind how far sneezing travel,” said study co-author Michael Kinzel of UCF.
“We show that the human body has influencers, such as a complex system of ducts associated with the nasal flow that actually stops the jet from the mouth and prevents it from dispersing droplets over great distances,” he added.
The researchers said that when people with clear noses blow it into a tissue, the speed and distance of the sneezing droplets travel decreases.
This is because a clear nose provides a path beyond the mouth for the sneeze to exit, they added.
“The teeth create a shrinking effect in the cast that makes it stronger and more turbulent,” Kinzel said.
“They actually seem to be leading the broadcast. So, if you see someone with no teeth, you can actually expect a weaker sneeze jet from them, ”he added.
For the study, the researchers recreated four types of mouth and nose: a person with clear teeth and nose, a person without teeth and a clear nose, a person without teeth and a congested nose, and a person with a congested nose and teeth.
When they simulated sneezing in the different models, they found that the spray distance of the droplets expelled when a person has a congested nose and a full set of teeth is about 60% greater than when they don’t.
The researchers also simulated three types of saliva: thin, medium and thick.
They found that the thinner saliva resulted in sneezing made up of smaller droplets, which created a spray and stayed in the air longer than average, thick saliva.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
