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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Characterizing Mutational Load and Clonal Composition of Human Blood
Published on: July 11, 2019
Might stochasticity and sampling variation be a possible explanation for variation in clonal population survival
1University of Texas System, Center for High Performance Computing, Balcones Research Center, Austin 78753-4497.
Abstract:
Biogerontological survival analysis attempts to understand, through the use of mathematical and computer models, how biological and environmental processes affect the dynamics of survival. The survival model parameters are assumed to reflect an average or mean response to some intervention. Further, these parameters are usually assumed to be constant over the time course of the experiment and across the elements of the experimental cohort. In this paper, we introduce stochastic (random) features to the survival curve parameters and we observe how this might affect our interpretation of the biology; as reflected in the estimates of the model parameters. In particular, we provide a possible explanation for variation in parameter estimates within sample populations drawn from a population of genetic clones.
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