Bulletin of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (BCSEE)
Not a member yet
26405 research outputs found
Sort by
Chromatic Symmetric Functions and RSK for (3+1)-Free Posets
No full textIn 1995, Stanley introduced the chromatic symmetric function of a graph, a symmetric function analog of the classical chromatic polynomial of a graph. The Stanley-Stembridge e-positivity conjecture is a long-standing conjecture that states that the chromatic symmetric function of a certain class of graphs, called incomparability graphs of (3+1)-free posets, has nonnegative coefficients when expanded in the elementary symmetric function basis. In 1996, Gasharov described Schur expansion of the chromatic symmetric function for this class of graphs in terms of P-tableau, a generalization of a standard Young tableau. An open problem is to find a bijective proof of this expansion for all (3+1)-free posets.In the first part of the dissertation, we consider the problem of finding a bijection that looks like the classical RSK algorithm. The RSK algorithm takes (generalized) permutations and produces a pair of tableaux. Our approach is to view proper colorings as generalized permutations. This allows us to construct an algorithm that takes proper colorings and produce a pair of tableaux for certain classes of posets (3-free posets and beastly posets). This then provides a combinatorial proof of Gasharov's Schur expansion of the chromatic symmetric function as well as the Shareshian--Wachs Schur expansion of the chromatic quasisymmetric function for these classes of posets. We also consider proper set colorings as well as dual algorithms. In fact, we show that any RSK-like algorithm on permutations that preserves descents and inversions can be extended to a bijection on colorings using our general framework of viewing proper colorings as generalized permutations.In the second part of the dissertation, we provide new proofs of results surrounding the Shareshian--Wachs chromatic quasisymmetric function. These include a new proof of a Harada--Precup recurrence relation for the e-coefficients through speicial rim hook tableaux as well as a simplified approach to Hwang's refinement of the chromatic quasisymmetric functions through local flips of acyclic orientations.</p
Fred Proffitt Coulter: A Study of Chamber Music for Mixed Voices and Piano with a Catalogue of His Works
No full textAmerican composer, pianist, and pedagogue Fred Coulter enjoyed an extensive career beginning in the 1950s, mostly as a pianist while simultaneously developing his skills as a composer. His output ranges from small and large-scale instrumental and vocal works to ballets and award-winning film scores. Coulter's life's study in the compositions and compositional techniques of his contemporaries led him to a mastery of classical and modern music theory and composition, a field that was the basis of his pedagogical pursuits.Chamber Music, completed and premiered in 2006, is a cycle of thirty-six songs composed using James Joyce's poem collection of the same name for four-part mixed voices and piano. The earliest recorded realizations of these settings began in the early 1950s and are representative of Coulter's evolving use of harmony and melody. The songs range from the very traditionally tonal XVI "O Cool Is The Valley Now" to the almost serial II "The Twilight Turns From Amethyst."This paper offers a general analysis of this piece with regards to its performance, its performance history, and other considerations. Also included in the appendices is a catalogue of Coulter's work.</p
Finding Common Ground: Examining the Influence of Public-School Music Education on Performance-Based Career in Classical Music
No full textThis document explores the relationship between music education and music performance in order to facilitate stronger relationships between performance-based musicians and music educators. First, the supplemental research in the literature review identifies the divide that often exists between music education and music performance by examining the difference in perceived value, the development of identity construction, and the difference of perceived social status. To neutralize these stereotypes, the lecture recital associated with this project was programmed with composers who participated in public-school music programs during their own K-12 education. The composers selected have significantly contributed to the repertoire that professional performance-based musicians play. In addition, each composer responded to a questionnaire or interview to examine how participating in a public-school music program influenced their own career and compositions. The goal of this research is to generate qualitative data that produces personally relevant connections between professional performance-based musicians and music education and public-school music programs. Building stronger communities and musical organizations starts with strengthening relationships within our own industry. To do this we must build greater mutual respect between individuals, whether performing or teaching, in order to understand that we are in fact two sides of the same coin.</p
Longitudinal assessment of neurocognitive function in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis initiating alemtuzumab in routine clinical practice: LEM-COG study results
No full text•Neurocognitive function was assessed in RMS population treated with alemtuzumab.•MS-COG composite score improved significantly from baseline to month 12 follow-up.•Improvement in MS-COG seems to be driven by improvement in processing speed.•Over 12 months, about 92% of population showed stable or improved cognitive status.
Alemtuzumab is effective in reducing relapse rate and disability, but limited data exist on its effect on cognitive function in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study assessed neurocognitive function and safety associated with alemtuzumab treatment in RMS.
This longitudinal, single-arm, prospective study included people with RMS (aged 25–55 years) who were treated with alemtuzumab in clinical practice in the United States of America and Canada. The first participant was enrolled in December 2016. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline to post-baseline (month [M] 12/24) in MS-COGnitive (MS-COG) composite score. Secondary endpoints included Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), Selective Reminding Test (SRT), Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), and Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) scores. Depression and fatigue were assessed using Hamilton Rating Scale-Depression (HAM-D) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)/Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters were assessed when available. Safety was assessed throughout the study. Descriptive statistics were used for the pre-specified statistical analyses. Since the study was terminated early (November 2019) because of operational and resource difficulties, post hoc analyses for statistical inference were performed among participants who had a baseline value and at least one complete post-baseline assessment for cognitive parameters, fatigue, or depression.
Of the 112 participants enrolled, 39 were considered as the primary analysis population at M12. At M12, a mean change of 0.25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04, 0.45; p = 0.0049; effect size [ES]: 0.39) was observed in the MS-COG composite score. Improvements were observed in processing speed (based on PASAT and SDMT; p < 0.0001; ES: 0.62), as well as in individual PASAT, SDMT and COWAT scores. An improvement was also noted in HAM-D (p = 0.0054; ES: –0.44), but not in fatigue scores. Among MRI parameters, decreases in burden of disease volume (BDV; ES: –0.12), new gadolinium-enhancing lesions (ES: –0.41) and newly active lesions (ES: –0.07) were observed at M12. About 92% of participants showed stable or improved cognitive status at M12. There were no new safety signals reported in the study. The most common adverse events (≥10% of participants) were headache, fatigue, nausea, insomnia, urinary tract infection, pain in extremity, chest discomfort, anxiety, dizziness, arthralgia, flushing, and rash. Hypothyroidism (3.7%) was the most frequent adverse event of special interest.
The findings from this study suggest that alemtuzumab has a positive impact on cognitive function with significant improvements in processing speed and depression in people with RMS over a period of 12 months. The safety profile of alemtuzumab was consistent with previous studies
Previously reported and here added cases demonstrate euploid pregnancies followed by PGT-A as "mosaic" as well as "aneuploid" designated embryos
No full textBackgroundAfter the longest time opposing all transfers of embryos by preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) diagnosed as "chromosomal-abnormal," the field has over recent years slowly been moving toward selective transfers of by PGT-A as "mosaic" diagnosed embryos, but is still rejecting transfers of embryos by PGT-A defined as "aneuploid."MethodsUpon review of the literature, we report published cases of euploid pregnancies following transfers of PGT-A as "aneuploid" diagnosed embryos and add several additional, ongoing cases at our center.ResultsAmong the published cases from our center, we identified seven euploid pregnancies from "aneuploid" embryos, four of which preceded the PGT-A industry's 2016 switch from binary "euploid" - "aneuploid" reporting to "euploid," "mosaic," and "aneuploid" reporting. That those four cases post 2016 PGT-A definition involving "mosaic" embryos, therefore, cannot be ruled out. Since then, we recently established three additional ongoing pregnancies from transfers of "aneuploid" embryos which still await confirmation of euploidy after delivery. A recent fourth pregnancy from the transfer of a trisomy 9 embryo miscarried before a fetal heart. Outside our own center's experience, the literature revealed only one additional such transfer, involving PGT-A as a "chaotic-aneuploid" diagnosed embryo with six abnormalities, leading to normal euploid delivery. In reviewing the literature, we furthermore demonstrate why current PGT-A reporting that differentiates between "mosaic" and "aneuploid" embryos based on relative percentages of euploid and aneuploid DNA in a single trophectoderm biopsy of on average 5-6 cells, is biologically non-sensical.ConclusionBasic biological evidence and a clinically still very limited experience with transfers of PGT-A as "aneuploid" labeled embryos demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that at least some "aneuploid" embryos can lead to healthy euploid births. Therefore, this observation establishes beyond reasonable doubt that the rejection of all "aneuploid" embryos from transfer reduces pregnancy and live birth chances for IVF patients. Whether (and to what possible degree) pregnancy and live birth chances differ between "mosaic" and "aneuploid" embryos, remains to be determined. The answer will likely depend on the aneuploidy(ies) of an embryo and to what degree percentages of "mosaicism" in a single, on average 5/6-cell trophectoderm biopsy can reflect the ploidy-status of a complete embryo
Well-being and stress vulnerability in ovarian cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textOBJECTIVEThis study was designed to examine (1) whether ovarian cancer (OC) survivors would have greater well-being vs. elevated distress compared to community members during a universal health stressor (COVID-19) and (2) how resources and risk factors at diagnosis predicted vulnerability to a subsequent health-related stressor. METHODSOne hundred seventeen OC survivors were recruited from two academic medical centers and compared to a community-based sample on COVID-related distress and disruption. Latent class analysis identified differentially impacted groups of survivors. RESULTSSurvivors reported lower distress than community members. Predictors of higher distress included shorter-term survivorship, greater disruption, and poorer emotional well--being (EWB) at diagnosis. Survivors were divided into high- and low-COVID-19-impact subgroups; high-impact individuals endorsed higher perceived stress and lower EWB at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONSurvivors reported lower COVID-related distress than community participants. While depression at diagnosis did not predict later distress, EWB was a strong predictor of response to a novel health-related stressor
Photovoice in the interdisciplinary climate classroom: a case study in climate adaptation pedagogy from a hybrid university course
No full textWe reflect on the use of photovoice methods in a hybrid classroom environment for an interdisciplinary course titled Climate and Society at the University of Miami. The activities, based on our team’s hyperlocal method of community-based climate adaptation engagement, create opportunities to engage with the complexities of climate science and policy solutions in unique and powerful ways. Our principal contribution is a series of exercises that can be done by educators anywhere in the world, providing a foundation for reflection and rich conversations. We conclude with recommendations and tools to aid educators in recreating the exercise in many settings
CAFE: Carbon-Aware Federated Learning in Geographically Distributed Data Centers
No full textTraining large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) models demands significant computational power and energy, leading to increased carbon footprint with potential environmental repercussions. This paper delves into the challenges of training AI models across geographically distributed (geo-distributed) data centers, emphasizing the balance between learning performance and carbon footprint. We consider Federated Learning (FL) as a solution, which prioritizes model parameter exchange over raw data, ensuring data privacy and compliance with local regulations. Given the variability in carbon intensity across regions, we propose a new framework called CAFE (short for Carbon-Aware Federated Learning) to optimize training within a fixed carbon footprint budget. Our approach incorporates coreset selection to assess learning performance, employs the Lyapunov drift-plus-penalty framework to address the unpredictability of future carbon intensity, and devises an efficient algorithm to address the combinatorial complexity of the data center selection. Through extensive simulations using real-world carbon intensity data, we demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm, highlighting its superiority over existing methods in optimizing learning performance while minimizing environmental impact