Recently, significant progress has been made in (2+1 )-dimensional conformal field theories without supersymmetry. In particular, it was realized that different Lagrangians may be related by hidden ...dualities; i.e., seemingly different field theories may actually be identical in the infrared limit. Among all the proposed dualities, one has attracted particular interest in the field of strongly correlated quantum-matter systems: the one relating the easy-plane noncompact CP1 model (NCCP1 ) and noncompact quantum electrodynamics (QED) with two flavors (N=2 ) of massless two-component Dirac fermions. The easy-plane NCCP1 model is the field theory of the putative deconfined quantum-critical point separating a planar (XY ) antiferromagnet and a dimerized (valence-bond solid) ground state, while N=2 noncompact QED is the theory for the transition between a bosonic symmetry-protected topological phase and a trivial Mott insulator. In this work, we present strong numerical support for the proposed duality. We realize the N=2 noncompact QED at a critical point of an interacting fermion model on the bilayer honeycomb lattice and study it using determinant quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations. Using stochastic series expansion QMC simulations, we study a planar version of the S=1/2 J−Q spin Hamiltonian (a quantum XY model with additional multispin couplings) and show that it hosts a continuous transition between the XY magnet and the valence-bond solid. The duality between the two systems, following from a mapping of their phase diagrams extending from their respective critical points, is supported by the good agreement between the critical exponents according to the proposed duality relationships. In the J−Q model, we find both continuous and first-order transitions, depending on the degree of planar anisotropy, with deconfined quantum criticality surviving only up to moderate strengths of the anisotropy. This explains previous claims of no deconfined quantum criticality in planar two-component spin models, which were in the strong-anisotropy regime, and opens doors to further investigations of the global phase diagram of systems hosting deconfined quantum-critical points.
Defects can introduce atomic structural modulation and tailor performance of materials. Herein, it demonstrates that semiconductor WO
with inert electrocatalytic behavior can be activated through ...defect-induced tensile strains. Structural characterizations reveal that when simply treated in Ar/H
atmosphere, oxygen vacancies will generate in WO
and cause defective structures. Stacking faults are found in defects, thus modulating electronic structure and transforming electrocatalytic-inert WO
into highly active electrocatalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed to calculate
H adsorption energies on various WO
surfaces, revealing the oxygen vacancy composition and strain predicted to optimize the catalytic activity of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Such defective tungsten oxides can be integrated into commercial proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser with comparable performance toward Pt-based PEM. This work demonstrates defective metal oxides as promising non-noble metal catalysts for commercial PEM green-hydrogen generation.
Purpose
The worldwide prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) in singleton pregnancies after in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is suggested to vary; ...however, a complete overview is missing. The aim of this review is to estimate the worldwide prevalence of APOs associated with IVF/ICSI singleton pregnancies.
Methods
PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Libraries, and Chinese databases were searched for studies assessing APOs among IVF/ICSI singleton births through March 2016. The prevalence estimates were summarized and analyzed by meta-analysis.
Results
Fifty-two cohort studies, with 181,741 IVF/ICSI singleton births and 4,636,508 spontaneously conceived singleton births, were selected for analysis. Among IVF/ICSI singleton pregnancies, pooled estimates were 10.9% 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.0–11.8 for preterm birth, 2.4% (95% CI 1.9–3.0) for very preterm birth, 8.7% (95% CI 7.4–10.2) for low birth weight, 2.0% (95% CI 1.5–2.6) for very low birth weight, 7.1% (95% CI 5.5–9.2) for small for gestational age, 1.1% (95% CI 0.9–1.3) for perinatal mortality, and 5.7% (95% CI 4.7–6.9) for congenital malformations. The IVF/ICSI singleton pregnancies have higher prevalence of APOs compared with those conceived naturally (all
P
= 0.000). Significant differences in different continents, countries, income groups, and type of assisted conception were found.
Conclusions
The IVF/ICSI singleton pregnancies are at a higher prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes compared with those conceived naturally. Important geographical differences were found. Yet, population-wide prospective APO registries covering the entire world population for IVF/ICSI pregnancies are needed to determine the exact perinatal prevalence.
The MYB-CC family is a subtype within the MYB superfamily. This family contains an MYB domain and a predicted coiled-coil (CC) domain. Several MYB-CC transcription factors are involved in the plant's ...adaptability to low phosphate (Pi) stress. We identified 30, 34, and 55
genes in
,
, and
, respectively. The
genes were divided into nine groups based on phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of the chromosome distribution and gene structure revealed that most
genes retained the same relative position on the chromosomes and had similar gene structures during allotetraploidy. Evolutionary analysis showed that the ancestral whole-genome triplication (WGT) and the recent allopolyploidy are critical for the expansion of the
gene family. The expression patterns of
genes were found to be diverse in different tissues of the three
species. Furthermore, the gene expression analysis under low Pi stress revealed that
genes may be related to low Pi stress responses. These results may increase our understanding of
gene family diversification and provide the basis for further analysis of the specific functions of
genes in
species.
Stock portfolio is a hard issue in the Fintech field due to the diversity of data characteristics and the dynamic complexity of the market. Despite advances in deep learning that have made great ...progress in the complex and highly stochastic portfolio problem, the existing research still faces significant limitations. They either consider only investment returns or simply use some macro-market data to guide their models against risk. The preferred direction of the market greatly affects the choice of stock. And in practice, investors are more inclined to portfolios with low correlation between assets because of the ripple relationships between related things. In this paper, we propose a novel framework, called Mercury, which views stock screening as a reinforcement learning process. In particular, to enhance the ability to perceive changes in the market and generate higher returns, our framework models the sensitivity of the market preferences and learns dynamic temporal and spatial dependency patterns between assets from historical trading data. Additionally, the framework employs reinforcement learning to screen the overall low-correlation portfolio, which can better improve the ability to withstand investment risks while guaranteeing returns. The daily dataset of China's A-share market is used as the research sample to verify the effectiveness and robustness of Mercury, and our framework has strong generalization ability, which can be easily generalized to other trading procedures.
For patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), artificial liver support system (ALSS) may help prolong lifespan and function as a bridge to liver transplantation (LT), but data on its ...long-term benefit are lacking. We conducted this prospective, controlled study to determine the efficacy of ALSS and the predictors of mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated ACLF.From January 2003 to December 2007, a total of 234 patients with HBV-associated ACLF not eligible for LT were enrolled in our study. They were allocated to receive either plasma exchange centered ALSS plus standard medical therapy (SMT) (ALSS group, n=104) or SMT alone (control group, n=130). All the patients were followed-up for at least 5 years, or until death.At 90 days, the survival rate of ALSS group was higher than that of the control group (62/104 60% vs 61/130 47%, respectively; P<0.05). Median survival was 879 days in the ALSS group (43% survival at 5 years) and 649 days in the control group (31% survival at 5 years, log-rank P<0.05). ALSS was found to be associated with favorable outcome of these patients by both univariate and multivariate analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis also revealed that lower serum sodium levels, higher grades of encephalopathy, presence of cirrhosis, hepatorenal syndrome, and higher model for end-stage liver disease scores were independent predictors for both 90-day and 5-year mortality due to ACLF.Our findings suggest that ALSS is safe and may improve the short- and long-term prognosis of patients with HBV-associated ACLF.
To improve our understanding of the origin and evolution of mycoheterotrophic plants, we here present the chromosome-scale genome assemblies of two sibling orchid species: partially mycoheterotrophic ...Platanthera zijinensis and holomycoheterotrophic Platanthera guangdongensis. Comparative analysis shows that mycoheterotrophy is associated with increased substitution rates and gene loss, and the deletion of most photoreceptor genes and auxin transporter genes might be linked to the unique phenotypes of fully mycoheterotrophic orchids. Conversely, trehalase genes that catalyse the conversion of trehalose into glucose have expanded in most sequenced orchids, in line with the fact that the germination of orchid non-endosperm seeds needs carbohydrates from fungi during the protocorm stage. We further show that the mature plant of P. guangdongensis, different from photosynthetic orchids, keeps expressing trehalase genes to hijack trehalose from fungi. Therefore, we propose that mycoheterotrophy in mature orchids is a continuation of the protocorm stage by sustaining the expression of trehalase genes. Our results shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying initial, partial and full mycoheterotrophy.
Background： Gross target volume of primary tumor（GTV-P） is very important for the prognosis prediction of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma（NPC）, but it is unknown whether the same is true for ...locally advanced NPC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy（IMRT）. This study aimed to clarify the prognostic value of tumor volume for patient with locally advanced NPC receiving IMRT and to ind a suitable cut-of value of GTV-P for prognosis prediction.Methods： Clinical data of 358 patients with locally advanced NPC who received IMRT were reviewed. Receiver oper-ating characteristic（ROC） curves were used to identify the cut-of values of GTV-P for the prediction of diferent end-points overall survival（OS）, local relapse-free survival（LRFS）, distant metastasis-free survival（DMFS）, and disease-free survival（DFS） and to test the prognostic value of GTV-P when compared with that of the American Joint Committee on Cancer T staging system.Results： The 358 patients with locally advanced NPC were divided into two groups by the cut-of value of GTV-P as determined using ROC curves： 219（61.2%） patients with GTV-P ≤46.4 mL and 139（38.8%） with GTV-P 〉46.4 mL. The 3-year OS, LRFS, DMFS, and DFS rates were all higher in patients with GTV-P ≤46.4 mL than in those with GTV-P 〉 46.4 mL（all P 〈 0.05）. Multivariate analysis indicated that GTV-P 〉46.4 mL was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for patient survival. The ROC curve veriied that the predictive ability of GTV-P was superior to that of T category（P 〈 0.001）. The cut-of values of GTV-P for the prediction of OS, LRFS, DMFS, and DFS were 46.4, 57.9, 75.4 and 46.4 mL, respectively.Conclusion： In patients with locally advanced NPC, GTV-P 〉46.4 mL is an independent unfavorable prognostic indi-cator for survival after IMRT, with a prognostic value superior to that of T category.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a huge threat to the modern pig industry, and current vaccine prevention strategies could not provide full protection against it. ...Therefore, exploring new anti-PRRSV strategies is urgently needed. Ginsenoside Rg1, derived from ginseng and notoginseng, is shown to exert anti-inflammatory, neuronal apoptosis-suppressing and anti-oxidant effects. Here we demonstrate Rg1-inhibited PRRSV infection both in Marc-145 cells and porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) in a dose-dependent manner. Rg1 treatment affected multiple steps of the PRRSV lifecycle, including virus attachment, replication and release at concentrations of 10 or 50 µM. Meanwhile, Rg1 exhibited broad inhibitory activities against Type 2 PRRSV, including highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) XH-GD and JXA1, NADC-30-like strain HNLY and classical strain VR2332. Mechanistically, Rg1 reduced mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α, and decreased NF-κB signaling activation triggered by PRRSV infection. Furthermore, 4-week old piglets intramuscularly treated with Rg1 after being challenged with the HP-PRRSV JXA1 strain display moderate lung injury, decreased viral load in serum and tissues, and an improved survival rate. Collectively, our study provides research basis and supportive clinical data for using Ginsenoside Rg1 in PRRSV therapies in swine.
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