Generalized plane-fronted gravitational waves in any dimension

We study the gravitational waves in spacetimes of arbitrary dimension. They generalize the pp-waves and the Kundt waves, obtained earlier in four dimensions. Explicit solutions of the Einstein and Einstein-Maxwell equations are derived for an arbitrary cosmological constant.Comment: Revtex, 18 pages, no figure

New solutions in 3D gravity

We study gravitational theory in 1+2 spacetime dimensions which is determined by the Lagrangian constructed as a sum of the Einstein-Hilbert term plus the two (translational and rotational) gravitational Chern-Simons terms. When the corresponding coupling constants vanish, we are left with the purely Einstein theory of gravity. We obtain new exact solutions for the gravitational field equations with the nontrivial material sources. Special attention is paid to plane-fronted gravitational waves (in case of the Maxwell field source) and to the circularly symmetric as well as the anisotropic cosmological solutions which arise for the ideal fluid matter source.Comment: Revtex, 21 pages, no figure

Familial thrombocytopenia due to a complex structural variant resulting in a WAC-ANKRD26 fusion transcript

Advances in genome sequencing have resulted in the identification of the causes for numerous rare diseases. However, many cases remain unsolved with standard molecular analyses. We describe a family presenting with a phenotype resembling inherited thrombocytopenia 2 (THC2). THC2 is generally caused by single nucleotide variants that prevent silencing of ANKRD26 expression during hematopoietic differentiation. Short-read whole-exome and genome sequencing approaches were unable to identify a causal variant in this family. Using long-read whole-genome sequencing, a large complex structural variant involving a paired-duplication inversion was identified. Through functional studies, we show that this structural variant results in a pathogenic gain-of-function WAC-ANKRD26 fusion transcript. Our findings illustrate how complex structural variants that may be missed by conventional genome sequencing approaches can cause human disease

Gravitational Radiation From Cosmological Turbulence

An injection of energy into the early Universe on a given characteristic length scale will result in turbulent motions of the primordial plasma. We calculate the stochastic background of gravitational radiation arising from a period of cosmological turbulence, using a simple model of isotropic Kolmogoroff turbulence produced in a cosmological phase transition. We also derive the gravitational radiation generated by magnetic fields arising from a dynamo operating during the period of turbulence. The resulting gravitational radiation background has a maximum amplitude comparable to the radiation background from the collision of bubbles in a first-order phase transition, but at a lower frequency, while the radiation from the induced magnetic fields is always subdominant to that from the turbulence itself. We briefly discuss the detectability of such a signal.Comment: 20 pages. Corrections for an errant factor of 2 in all the gravity wave characteristic amplitudes. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Atorvastatin induces associated reductions in platelet P-selectin, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and interleukin-6 in patients with coronary artery diseases.

The development and progression of atherosclerosis comprises various processes, such as endothelial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, thrombus formation, and lipid profile modification. Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors that have pleiotropic effects in addition to cholesterol-lowering properties. However, the mechanisms of these effects are not completely understood. Here, we investigated whether atorvastatin affects the levels of malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDALDL), an oxidized LDL, the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), or platelet P-selectin, a marker of platelet activation, relative to that of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C). Forty-eight patients with coronary artery disease and hyperlipidemia were separated into two groups that were administered with (atorvastatin group) or without (control group) atorvastatin. The baseline MDA-LDL level in all participants significantly correlated with LDL-C (r = 0.71, P < 0.01) and apolipoprotein B levels (r = 0.66, P < 0.01). Atorvastatin (10 mg/day) significantly reduced the LDL-C level within 4 weeks and persisted for a further 8 weeks of administration. Atorvastatin also reduced the MDA-LDL level within 4 weeks and further reduced it over the next 8 weeks. Platelet P-selectin expression did not change until 4 weeks of administration and then significantly decreased at 12 weeks, whereas the IL-6 level was gradually, but not significantly, reduced at 12 weeks. In contrast, none of these parameters significantly changed in the control group within these time frames. The reduction (%) in IL-6 between 4 and 12 weeks after atorvastatin administration significantly correlated with that of MDALDL and of platelet P-selectin (r = 0.65, P < 0.05 and r = 0.70, P < 0.05, respectively). These results suggested that the positive effects of atorvastatin on the LDL-C oxidation, platelet activation and inflammation that are involved in atherosclerotic processes are exerted in concert after lowering LDL-C