Inferring Deleterious-Mutation Parameters in Natural Daphnia Populations

Deng and Lynch (1, 2) proposed to characterize deleterious genomic mutations from changes in the mean and genetic variance of fitness traits upon selfing in outcrossing populations. Such observations can be readily acquired in cyclical parthenogens. Selfing and life-table experiments were performed for two such Daphnia populations. A significant inbreeding depression and an increase of genetic variance for all traits analyzed were observed. Deng and Lynch's (2) procedures were employed to estimate the genomic mutation rate (U), mean dominance coefficient ( [Image: see text] ), mean selection coefficient ( [Image: see text] ), and scaled genomic mutational variance ( [Image: see text] ). On average, [Image: see text] , [Image: see text] , [Image: see text] and [Image: see text] (^ indicates an estimate) are 0.84, 0.30, 0.14 and 4.6E-4 respectively. For the true values, the [Image: see text] and [Image: see text] are lower bounds, and [Image: see text] and [Image: see text] upper bounds

NGS-based identification of druggable alterations and signaling pathways – hepatocellular carcinoma case report

Aim. To identify potential cancer driving or clinically relevant molecular events for a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods. In order to achieve this goal, we performed RNA-seq and exome sequencing for the tumor tissue and its matched control. We annotated the alterations found using several publicly available databases and bioinformatics tools. Results. We identified several differentially expressed genes linked to the classical sorafenib treatment as well as additional pathways potentially druggable by therapies studied in clinical trials (Erlotinib, Lapatinib and Temsirolimus). Several germline mutations, found in XRCC1, TP53 and DPYD, according to the data from other clinical trials, could be related to the increased sensitivity to platinum therapies and reduced sensitivity to 5-Fluorouracil. We also identified several potentially driving mutations that could not be currently linked to therapies, like deletion in CIRBP, SNVs in BTG1, ERBB3, TCF7L2 et al. Conclusions. The presented study shows the potential usefulness of the integrated approach to the NGS data analysis, including the analysis of germline mutations and transcriptome in addition to the cancer panel or the exome sequencing data.Мета. Ідентифікувати потенційно онкодрайверні або клінічно значущі молекулярні події у пацієнта з гепатоклітинною карциномою. Методи. РНК- та екзомне секвенування пухлинної тканини та відповідного контролю. Анотування знайдених змін, використовуючи декілька загальнодоступних баз даних та біоінформатичних програм. Ми також порівняли транскрипційний профіль досліджуваної пухлини з транскриптомами клітинних ліній з бази даних Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer. Результати. Ідентифіковано кілька генів, що дифференційно експресуються, і пов’язані як з класичною терапією сорафенібом, так і з додатковими сигнальними шляхами, що потенційно вразливі до терапії препаратами, які досліджувались у клініческих випробуваннях (ерлотініб, лапатініб та темсіролімус). Декілька гермінативних мутацій, знайдених в XRCC1, TP53 та DPYD, згідно з даними інших клінічних випробувань, можуть бути пов’язані з підвищеною чутливістю до платинових терапій та зменшеною чутливістю до 5-фторурацилу. Ми також ідентифікували декілька потенційно драйверних мутацій, які на цей час не можуть бути пов’язані з терапіями, наприклад делеції у CIRBP, заміни в BTG1, ERBB3, TCF7L2 тощо. Висновки. Запропоноване дослідження демонструє потенційну корисність інтегрованого підходу до NGS аналізу даних, в тому числі аналізу гермінативних мутацій та транскриптому у додаток до використання онкологічних генних панелей або даних секвенування екзому.Цель. Выявлении ключевых или клинически значимых молекулярных событий для пациента с гепатоцеллюлярной карциномой. Методы. РНК- и экзомное секвенирования опухолевой и нормальной ткани. Мы проаннотировали найденные генетические нарушения, используя несколько общедоступных баз данных и биоинформатических инструментов. Результаты. Мы определили несколько дифференциально экспрессированных генов, связанных с классической схемой лечения препаратом сорафениб, а также дополнительные пути потенциально поддающиеся терапии препаратами, включенными в клинические испытания (Эрлотиниб, Лапатиниб и Темсиролимус). Несколько герминативных мутаций, найденных в XRCC1, TP53 и DPYD, по данным из других клинических испытаний, могут быть связаны с повышенной чувствительностью к препаратам платины и пониженной чувствительностью к 5-фторурацилу. Мы также определили несколько потенциально драйверных мутаций в генах CIRBP, замены в BTG1, ErbB3, TCF7L2 и др., которые в настоящее время не связаны с тера­пией. Выводы. Данное исследование показывает потенциальную значимость комплексного подхода к анализу данных NGS, в том числе анализа герминативных мутаций и транскриптома в дополнение к данным из генных панелей или секвенирования экзома

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background. Under log-uniform priors for the energy in each polarization, we limit the energy densities of tensor, vector, and scalar modes at 95% credibility to Ω0T<5.58×10-8, Ω0V<6.35×10-8, and Ω0S<1.08×10-7 at a reference frequency f0=25 Hz. © 2018 American Physical Society

Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 in the second Advanced LIGO observing run with an improved hidden Markov model

We present results from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track spin wandering. This search improves on previous HMM-based searches of LIGO data by using an improved frequency domain matched filter, the J-statistic, and by analyzing data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run. In the frequency range searched, from 60 to 650 Hz, we find no evidence of gravitational radiation. At 194.6 Hz, the most sensitive search frequency, we report an upper limit on gravitational wave strain (at 95% confidence) of h095%=3.47×10-25 when marginalizing over source inclination angle. This is the most sensitive search for Scorpius X-1, to date, that is specifically designed to be robust in the presence of spin wandering. © 2019 American Physical Society

All-sky search for long-duration gravitational wave transients with initial LIGO

We present the results of a search for long-duration gravitational wave transients in two sets of data collected by the LIGO Hanford and LIGO Livingston detectors between November 5, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010, with a total observational time of 283.0 days and 132.9 days, respectively. The search targets gravitational wave transients of duration 10-500 s in a frequency band of 40-1000 Hz, with minimal assumptions about the signal waveform, polarization, source direction, or time of occurrence. All candidate triggers were consistent with the expected background; as a result we set 90% confidence upper limits on the rate of long-duration gravitational wave transients for different types of gravitational wave signals. For signals from black hole accretion disk instabilities, we set upper limits on the source rate density between 3.4×10-5 and 9.4×10-4 Mpc-3 yr-1 at 90% confidence. These are the first results from an all-sky search for unmodeled long-duration transient gravitational waves. © 2016 American Physical Society

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC-2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: A generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society

Narrowband Searches for Continuous and Long-duration Transient Gravitational Waves from Known Pulsars in the LIGO-Virgo Third Observing Run

Isolated neutron stars that are asymmetric with respect to their spin axis are possible sources of detectable continuous gravitational waves. This paper presents a fully coherent search for such signals from eighteen pulsars in data from LIGO and Virgo's third observing run (O3). For known pulsars, efficient and sensitive matched-filter searches can be carried out if one assumes the gravitational radiation is phase-locked to the electromagnetic emission. In the search presented here, we relax this assumption and allow both the frequency and the time derivative of the frequency of the gravitational waves to vary in a small range around those inferred from electromagnetic observations. We find no evidence for continuous gravitational waves, and set upper limits on the strain amplitude for each target. These limits are more constraining for seven of the targets than the spin-down limit defined by ascribing all rotational energy loss to gravitational radiation. In an additional search, we look in O3 data for long-duration (hours-months) transient gravitational waves in the aftermath of pulsar glitches for six targets with a total of nine glitches. We report two marginal outliers from this search, but find no clear evidence for such emission either. The resulting duration-dependent strain upper limits do not surpass indirect energy constraints for any of these targets. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society

Erratum: "A Gravitational-wave Measurement of the Hubble Constant Following the Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo" (2021, ApJ, 909, 218)

[no abstract available

All-sky search for long-duration gravitational wave transients with initial LIGO

We present the results of a search for long-duration gravitational wave transients in two sets of data collected by the LIGO Hanford and LIGO Livingston detectors between November 5, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010, with a total observational time of 283.0 days and 132.9 days, respectively. The search targets gravitational wave transients of duration 10-500 s in a frequency band of 40-1000 Hz, with minimal assumptions about the signal waveform, polarization, source direction, or time of occurrence. All candidate triggers were consistent with the expected background; as a result we set 90% confidence upper limits on the rate of long-duration gravitational wave transients for different types of gravitational wave signals. For signals from black hole accretion disk instabilities, we set upper limits on the source rate density between 3.4×10-5 and 9.4×10-4 Mpc-3 yr-1 at 90% confidence. These are the first results from an all-sky search for unmodeled long-duration transient gravitational waves. © 2016 American Physical Society

Open data from the third observing run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO

The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in 2019 April and lasting six months, O3b starting in 2019 November and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in 2020 April and lasting two weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main data set, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages