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Elliptic flow from nuclear collisions is a hadronic observable sensitive to the early stages of system evolution. We report first results on elliptic flow of charged particles at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV using the STAR TPC at RHIC. The elliptic flow signal, v_2, averaged over transverse momentum, reaches values of about 6% for relatively peripheral collisions and decreases for the more central collisions. This can be interpreted as the observation of a higher degree of thermalization than at lower collision energies. Pseudorapidity and transverse momentum dependence of elliptic flow are also presented.
Our lives (and deaths) have by now been dominated for two years by COVID-19, a pandemic that has caused hundreds of millions of disease cases, millions of deaths, trillions in economic costs, and major restrictions on our freedom. Here we suggest a novel tool for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The key element is a method for a population-scale PCR-based testing, applied on a systematic and repeated basis. For this we have developed a low cost, highly sensitive virus-genome-based test. Using Germany as an example, we demonstrate by using a mathematical model, how useful this strategy could have been in controlling the pandemic. We show using real-world examples how this might be implemented on a mass scale and discuss the feasibility of this approach.
Our lives (and deaths) have been dominated for more than a year by COVID-19, a pandemic that has caused hundreds of millions of disease cases, millions of deaths, trillions in economic costs, and major restrictions on our freedom. We argue that much of this could have been avoided by repeated and systematic population-scale PCR-based testing and targeted quarantine. We describe key elements of the current implementations of such a system and demonstrate (with Germany as an example), that this strategy could have suppressed the pandemic within weeks, eliminating the vast majority of its overall impact in terms of deaths, economic costs and restrictions. It can, however, still play a major role in further reducing the worldwide impact of the current phase of the pandemic, and remain as a key protection against similar dangers in the future.
The genetic make-up of an individual contributes to the susceptibility and response to viral infection. Although environmental, clinical and social factors have a role in the chance of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of COVID-191,2, host genetics may also be important. Identifying host-specific genetic factors may reveal biological mechanisms of therapeutic relevance and clarify causal relationships of modifiable environmental risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We formed a global network of researchers to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Here we describe the results of three genome-wide association meta-analyses that consist of up to 49,562 patients with COVID-19 from 46 studies across 19 countries. We report 13 genome-wide significant loci that are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe manifestations of COVID-19. Several of these loci correspond to previously documented associations to lung or autoimmune and inflammatory diseases3,4,5,6,7. They also represent potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal role for smoking and body-mass index for severe COVID-19 although not for type II diabetes. The identification of novel host genetic factors associated with COVID-19 was made possible by the community of human genetics researchers coming together to prioritize the sharing of data, results, resources and analytical frameworks. This working model of international collaboration underscores what is possible for future genetic discoveries in emerging pandemics, or indeed for any complex human disease.