Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Predicting UV Inactivation of Coronaviruses with Machine Learning

Abstract

The epidemic of coronaviruses has posed significant public health concerns in the last two decades. An effective disinfection scheme is critical to preventing ambient virus infections and controlling the spread of further outbreaks. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been a widely used approach to inactivating pathogenic viruses. However, no viable framework or model can accurately predict the UV inactivation of coronaviruses in aqueous solutions or on environmental surfaces, where viruses are commonly found and spread in public places. By conducting a systematic literature review to collect data covering a wide range of UV wavelengths and various subtypes of coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we developed machine learning models for predicting the UV inactivation effects of coronaviruses in aqueous solutions and on environmental surfaces, for which the optimal test performance was obtained with R2 = 0.927, RMSE = 0.565 and R2 = 0.888, RMSE = 0.439, respectively. Besides, the required UV doses at different wavelengths to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 to 1 Log TCID50/mL titer from different initial titers were predicted for inactivation in protein-free water, saliva on the environmental surface, or the N95 respirator. Our models are instructive for eliminating the ongoing pandemic and controlling the spread of an emerging and unknown coronavirus outbreak.

Joule Heating-Induced Active Mg0 into Nano-Mg Composites for Boosted Oxidation and Antiviral Performance

“…Over the past decades, organic pollutant contamination and virus transmission in water have seriously threatened human health and environmental safety. , Particularly, the outbreak of pathogenic viruses has caused a global havoc, which brings the need for disinfection by effective methods . Nanometal composites have burgeoned and strived to be promising materials to solve these problems. − Especially, Fe-based composites have been widely applied to the oxidation processes of organic pollutants due to their earth-abundant and inexpensive characteristics. − However, iron leaching beyond the self-degradation capacity of an ecosystem presents an environmental security risk (Figure a). − Although a series of methods, such as encapsulated Fe in a graphene shell or the introduction of a metal sacrificial agent, have been used to inhibit iron leaching, the rigorous synthetic conditions limit its wide application. , Additionally, other metals like silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) are widely recognized as antiviral metals, yet they suffer from low abundance and high price.…”