Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Molecular Characterization Of The T(4;9)12gso Mutation And Analysis Of The Associated Fitness, Skeletal, And Lymphoproliferative Phenotypes, Laura Ray Chittenden

Doctoral Dissertations

The t(4;9)(B3;E3.2)12Gso reciprocal translocation is an autosomal recessive mouse mutation involving chromosome 4, band B3 (Mmu4B3) and chromosome 9, band E3.2 (Mmu9E3.2). The most striking phenotype of the 12Gso homozygote involves axial skeleton deformities, resulting in significant shortening of body length, scoliosis, displaced hips and kinky tails. Homozygous animals are significantly smaller than normal littermates and frequently exhibit early lethality, as many of the mutants perish by 1 day postnatal, and many others do not survive the three weeks to weaning age. Homozygous 12Gso mice also develop an unusual bone marrow defect that closely resembles leukemia. The penetrance of the …

Modular Machine Learning Methods For Computer-Aided Diagnosis Of Breast Cancer, Mia Kathleen Markey '94

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to improve breast cancer diagnosis by reducing the number of benign biopsies performed. To this end, we investigated modular and ensemble systems of machine learning methods for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) of breast cancer. A modular system partitions the input space into smaller domains, each of which is handled by a local model. An ensemble system uses multiple models for the same cases and combines the models' predictions.

Five supervised machine learning techniques (LDA, SVM, BP-ANN, CBR, CART) were trained to predict the biopsy outcome from mammographic findings (BIRADS™) and patient age based on a …

Behavior Of Nano-Engineered Platelets In A Coronary Artery Stenosis Model, Hua Ai

Doctoral Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in North America. Cardiac infarction caused by thrombus plaque rupture can often lead to sudden death. Arterial stenosis caused by atherosclerosis is an important precursor leading to thrombus formation. Shear stress, abnormal lipid metabolism, and subendothelial layer exposure are the major contributors to arterial thrombus formation. Platelet activation by the above factors, followed by adhesion is the basic sequence in thrombus formation.

Platelets were encapsulated with nanofilm in order to reduce platelet activation and adhesion under high shear stress. Polyions, nanoparticles and immunoglobulins were assembled in nano-organized shells on fixed bovine platelets …