In this paper, a SEIR epidemic model for the COVID-19 is built according to some general control strategies, such as hospital, quarantine and external input. Based on the data of Hubei province, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to estimate the parameters of the system. We found that the parameters of the proposed SEIR model are different for different scenarios. Then, the model is employed to show the evolution of the epidemic in Hubei province, which shows that it can be used to forecast COVID-19 epidemic situation. Moreover, by introducing the seasonality and stochastic infection the parameters, nonlinear dynamics including chaos are found in the system. Finally, we discussed the control strategies of the COVID-19 based on the structure and parameters of the proposed model.

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In this paper, Adomian decomposition method (ADM) with high accuracy and fast convergence is introduced to solve the fractional-order piecewise-linear (PWL) hyperchaotic system. Based on the obtained hyperchaotic sequences, a novel color image encryption algorithm is proposed by employing a hybrid model of bidirectional circular permutation and DNA masking. In this scheme, the pixel positions of image are scrambled by circular permutation, and the pixel values are substituted by DNA sequence operations. In the DNA sequence operations, addition and substraction operations are performed according to traditional addition and subtraction in the binary, and two rounds of addition rules are used to encrypt the pixel values. The simulation results and security analysis show that the hyperchaotic map is suitable for image encryption, and the proposed encryption algorithm has good encryption effect and strong key sensitivity. It can resist brute-force attack, statistical attack, differential attack, known-plaintext, and chosen-plaintext attacks.

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This paper presents an improved cryptanalysis of a chaos-based image encryption scheme, which integrated permutation, diffusion, and linear transformation process. It was found that the equivalent key streams and all the unknown parameters of the cryptosystem can be recovered by our chosen-plaintext attack algorithm. Both a theoretical analysis and an experimental validation are given in detail. Based on the analysis of the defects in the original cryptosystem, an improved color image encryption scheme was further developed. By using an image content–related approach in generating diffusion arrays and the process of interweaving diffusion and confusion, the security of the cryptosystem was enhanced. The experimental results and security analysis demonstrate the security superiority of the improved cryptosystem.

The recent outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has led to a worldwide pandemic. One week after initial symptoms develop, a subset of patients progresses to severe disease, with high mortality and limited treatment options. To design novel interventions aimed at preventing spread of the virus and reducing progression to severe disease, detailed knowledge of the cell types and regulating factors driving cellular entry is urgently needed. Here we assess the expression patterns in genes required for COVID-19 entry into cells and replication, and their regulation by genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors, throughout the respiratory tract using samples collected from the upper (nasal) and lower airways (bronchi). Matched samples from the upper and lower airways show a clear increased expression of these genes in the nose compared to the bronchi and parenchyma. Cellular deconvolution indicates a clear association of these genes with the proportion of secretory epithelial cells. Smoking status was found to increase the majority of COVID-19 related genes including ACE2 and TMPRSS2 but only in the lower airways, which was associated with a significant increase in the predicted proportion of goblet cells in bronchial samples of current smokers. Both acute and second hand smoke were found to increase ACE2 expression in the bronchus. Inhaled corticosteroids decrease ACE2 expression in the lower airways. No significant effect of genetics on ACE2 expression was observed, but a strong association of DNA- methylation with ACE2 and TMPRSS2- mRNA expression was identified in the bronchus.