Abstract: A method of increasing detection of low-abundant fragments of cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) in a biological sample is disclosed and discussed. Such a method can include isolating an initial fraction of ccfDNA fragments from a biological sample, ligating a unique molecular identifier (UMI) to each of the ccfDNA fragments in the initial fraction, amplifying the plurality of ccfDNA fragments to generate a ccfDNA library, isolating a short fraction of ccfDNA fragments from the ccfDNA library, where the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction are limited to a size of less than or equal to 160 base pairs (bp), amplifying the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction, and sequencing the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction to generate sequenced ccfDNA fragments.

Abstract: A method of increasing detection of low-abundant fragments of cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) in a biological sample is disclosed and discussed. Such a method can include isolating an initial fraction of ccfDNA fragments from a biological sample, ligating a unique molecular identifier (UMI) to each of the ccfDNA fragments in the initial fraction, amplifying the plurality of ccfDNA fragments to generate a ccfDNA library, isolating a short fraction of ccfDNA fragments from the ccfDNA library, where the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction are limited to a size of less than or equal to 160 base pairs (bp), amplifying the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction, and sequencing the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction to generate sequenced ccfDNA fragments.

Abstract: A method of increasing detection of low-abundant fragments of cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) in a biological sample is disclosed and discussed. Such a method can include isolating an initial fraction of ccfDNA fragments from a biological sample, ligating a unique molecular identifier (UMI) to each of the ccfDNA fragments in the initial fraction, amplifying the plurality of ccfDNA fragments to generate a ccfDNA library, isolating a short fraction of ccfDNA fragments from the ccfDNA library, where the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction are limited to a size of less than or equal to 160 base pairs (bp), amplifying the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction, and sequencing the ccfDNA fragments in the short fraction to generate sequenced ccfDNA fragments.

Abstract: A conditional active shape model wherein a training set of images of objects in a class of objects to be identified, such as vascular cross-sections, is supplemented with training observations of at least one second characteristic of the object. A conditional mean shape of the objects is calculated, conditioned on the second characteristic, thereby reducing the size of the probable search space for the shape. A conditional covariance matrix of the shapes is calculated, conditioned on the second characteristic, and the eigenvectors of the conditional covariance matrix corresponding to largest eigenvalues are calculated. The conditional mean shape, and the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the conditional covariance matrix are then used in an active shape model to identify the shapes of objects in subsequent images.