All Real Eigenvalues of Symmetric Tensors

This paper studies how to compute all real eigenvalues of a symmetric tensor. As is well known, the largest or smallest eigenvalue can be found by solving a polynomial optimization problem, while the other middle eigenvalues can not. We propose a new approach for computing all real eigenvalues sequentially, from the largest to the smallest. It uses Jacobian SDP relaxations in polynomial optimization. We show that each eigenvalue can be computed by solving a finite hierarchy of semidefinite relaxations. Numerical experiments are presented to show how to do this

Is I-Voting I-Llegal?

The Voting Rights Act was passed to prevent racial discrimination in all voting booths. Does the existence of a racial digital divide make Internet elections for public office merely a computer geek\u27s pipe dream? Or can i-voting withstand scrutiny under the current state of the law? This i-Brief will consider the current state of the law, and whether disproportionate benefits will be enough to stop this extension of technology dead in its tracks

A Peculiar Flaring Episode of Cygnus X-1

Recent monitoring of Cyg X-1 with {\em RXTE} revealed a period of intense flaring, which started in October of 2000 and lasted until March of 2001. The source exhibited some quite unusual behaviors during this period. The soft X-ray flux of the source went up and down three times on a timescale of about one month, as discovered by the ASM aboard RXTE, before finally returning to the normal level (of the hard state). The observed spectral and temporal X-ray properties of Cyg X-1 are mostly intermediate between the canonical hard and soft states. This is known previously for strong X-ray flares, however, we show that the source did enter a period that resembles, in many ways, a sustained soft state during the last of the three flares. We make detailed comparisons between this flare and the 1996 state transition, in terms of the observed X-ray properties, such as flux--hardness correlation, X-ray spectrum, and power density spectrum. We point out the similarities and differences, and discuss possible implications of the results on our understanding of the phenomena of flares and state transitions associated with Cyg X-1.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus infection in eastern china between 2009 and 2013: a retrospective study

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide in children aged <5 years and older adults with acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs). However, few studies regarding the epidemiology of hospitalizations for RSV infection have been performed previously in China. Here, we aimed to describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection in eastern China. Active surveillance for hospitalized ALRI patients using a broad case definition based on symptoms was performed from 2009-2013 in 12 sentinel hospitals in eastern China. Clinical and epidemiologic data pertaining to hospitalized patients of all ages with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection by PCR assay were collected and analyzed in this study. From 2009 to 2013, 1046 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection were enrolled in this study, and 14.7% of patients had subtype A, 24.2% of patients had subtype B, 23.8% of patients with subtype not performed, and 37.3% of patients had RSV coinfections with other viruses. RSV and influenza coinfections (33.3%) were the most common coinfections noted in this study. Moreover, young children aged <5 years (89.1%, 932/1046), particularly young infants aged <1 year (43.3%, 453/1046), represented the highest proportion of patients with RSV infections. In contrast, older adults aged ?60 years (1.1%, 12/1046) represented the lowest proportion of patients with RSV infections among enrolled patients. The peak RSV infection period occurred mainly during autumn and winter, and 57% and 66% of patients exhibited symptoms such as fever (body temperature ?38°C) and cough separately. Additionally, only a small number of patients were treated with broad-spectrum antiviral drugs, and most of patients were treated with antimicrobial drugs that were not appropriate for RSV infection. RSV is a leading viral pathogen and a common cause of viral infection in young children aged <5 years with ALRIs in eastern China. Effective vaccines and antiviral agents targeting RSV are needed to mitigate its large public health impact

Glomerular C1q deposition and serum anti-C1q antibodies in anti-glomerular basement membrane disease

BACKGROUND: Anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease is a well-known antibody-induced autoimmune disease. A few patients have glomerular C1q deposition, but it is usually absent on renal histopathology. The role of C1q deposition in kidney injury is unclear. Recently, anti-C1q antibodies are demonstrated to be pathogenic in the target organ damage of many autoimmune diseases, by facilitating C1q deposition and enhancing complement activation via classical pathway. In the current study, we investigated the associations between anti-C1q antibodies in sera and C1q deposition in kidney of patients with anti-GBM disease. RESULTS: It was shown that the severity of kidney injury was comparable between patients with and without C1q deposition, including the prevalence of oliguria/auria, the median percentage of crescents in glomeruli and the mean concentration of serum creatinine. Serum anti-C1q antibodies were detected in 15/25 (60%) patients with a low titer. The prevalence of C1q deposition in kidney was comparable between patients with and without serum anti-C1q antibodies (26.7% vs. 30.0%, p > 0.05). No association was found between anti-C1q antibodies and the severity of kidney injury. CONCLUSIONS: The classical pathway of complement may not play a pathogenic role in the kidney injury of human anti-GBM disease. Anti-C1q antibodies could be detected in more than half of patients, which need further investigations

An ideal mass assignment scheme for measuring the Power Spectrum with FFTs

In measuring the power spectrum of the distribution of large numbers of dark matter particles in simulations, or galaxies in observations, one has to use Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) for calculational efficiency. However, because of the required mass assignment onto grid points in this method, the measured power spectrum \la |\delta^f(k)|^2\ra obtained with an FFT is not the true power spectrum $P(k)$ but instead one that is convolved with a window function $|W(\vec k)|^2$ in Fourier space. In a recent paper, Jing (2005) proposed an elegant algorithm to deconvolve the sampling effects of the window function and to extract the true power spectrum, and tests using N-body simulations show that this algorithm works very well for the three most commonly used mass assignment functions, i.e., the Nearest Grid Point (NGP), the Cloud In Cell (CIC) and the Triangular Shaped Cloud (TSC) methods. In this paper, rather than trying to deconvolve the sampling effects of the window function, we propose to select a particular function in performing the mass assignment that can minimize these effects. An ideal window function should fulfill the following criteria: (i) compact top-hat like support in Fourier space to minimize the sampling effects; (ii) compact support in real space to allow a fast and computationally feasible mass assignment onto grids. We find that the scale functions of Daubechies wavelet transformations are good candidates for such a purpose. Our tests using data from the Millennium Simulation show that the true power spectrum of dark matter can be accurately measured at a level better than 2% up to $k=0.7k_N$, without applying any deconvolution processes. The new scheme is especially valuable for measurements of higher order statistics, e.g. the bi-spectrum,........Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ,Matches the accepte

Modified Glucose-Insulin-Potassium Regimen Provides Cardioprotection With Improved Tissue Perfusion in Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery

Background Laboratory studies demonstrate glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) as a potent cardioprotective intervention, but clinical trials have yielded mixed results, likely because of varying formulas and timing of GIK treatment and different clinical settings. This study sought to evaluate the effects of modified GIK regimen given perioperatively with an insulin-glucose ratio of 1:3 in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Methods and Results In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial with 930 patients referred for cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, GIK (200 g/L glucose, 66.7 U/L insulin, and 80 mmol/L KCl) or placebo treatment was administered intravenously at 1 mL/kg per hour 10 minutes before anesthesia and continuously for 12.5 hours. The primary outcome was the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events including all-cause death, low cardiac output syndrome, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia. GIK therapy reduced the incidence of major adverse cardiac events and enhanced cardiac function recovery without increasing perioperative blood glucose compared with the control group. Mechanistically, this treatment resulted in increased glucose uptake and less lactate excretion calculated by the differences between arterial and coronary sinus, and increased phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and protein kinase B in the hearts of GIK-treated patients. Systemic blood lactate was also reduced in GIK-treated patients during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Conclusions A modified GIK regimen administered perioperatively reduces the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. These benefits are likely a result of enhanced systemic tissue perfusion and improved myocardial metabolism via activation of insulin signaling by GIK. Clinical Trial Registration URL: clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT01516138