The Origin, Early Evolution and Predictability of Solar Eruptions

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were discovered in the early 1970s when space-borne coronagraphs revealed that eruptions of plasma are ejected from the Sun. Today, it is known that the Sun produces eruptive flares, filament eruptions, coronal mass ejections and failed eruptions; all thought to be due to a release of energy stored in the coronal magnetic field during its drastic reconfiguration. This review discusses the observations and physical mechanisms behind this eruptive activity, with a view to making an assessment of the current capability of forecasting these events for space weather risk and impact mitigation. Whilst a wealth of observations exist, and detailed models have been developed, there still exists a need to draw these approaches together. In particular more realistic models are encouraged in order to asses the full range of complexity of the solar atmosphere and the criteria for which an eruption is formed. From the observational side, a more detailed understanding of the role of photospheric flows and reconnection is needed in order to identify the evolutionary path that ultimately means a magnetic structure will erupt

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Public health medicine and primary health care: convergent, divergent, or parallel paths?

Historically, general medical practitioners and public health doctors have striven for health goals by different means. General practice has concentrated on personal, continuing health care focused on the consultation, usually at the request of the patient. Public health doctors have emphasised changes in the environment, society, and health service provision and organisation as the basis of interventions impacting on whole populations, or on marginalised groups of the population. Changes in medical practice, social and health care organisation, and political and public expectation have forced a radical reappraisal of the traditional relationship between these two branches of medical practice. These changes include the incorporation within general practice of staff such as health visitors and district nurses spurring on the concept of primary health care; the deliberate and successful shift, continuing to gather momentum, towards preventive health care in general practice; and the move towards greater administrative involvement of general practitioners in the management, organisation, and development of health services, hastened by the NHS reforms and best exemplified by fund holding general practices. The increasing focus of public health medicine on the assessment of health and health care needs, the development of policy and strategy, the promotion of health, the control and prevention of disease, and the organisation of services (activities undertaken at the expense, in practice if not in principle, of the control of environmental hazards and the advocacy role) has coincided with these changes in general practice. In the UK the fusion of the district and family health services authorities, and the increasing involvement of general practitioners in commissioning, and the requirement of health authority staff to support general practice commissioners make a strong relationship between the two medial specialties essential. In what direction has the relationship been moving

State of the Climate in 2012

International audienceEditors note: For easy download the posted pdf of the State of the Climate for 2012 is a very low-resolution file. A high-resolution copy of the report is available by clicking here. Please be patient as it may take a few minutes for the high-resolution file to download