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This article introduces a particular weak Galerkin (WG) element on rectangular/cuboid partitions that uses k$$ k $$th order polynomial for weak finite element functions and (k+1)$$ \left(k+1\right) $$th order polynomials for weak derivatives. This WG element is highly accurate with convergence two orders higher than the optimal order in an energy norm and the L2$$ {L}^2 $$ norm. The superconvergence is verified analytically and numerically. Furthermore, the usual stabilizer in the standard weak Galerkin formulation is no longer needed for this element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article establishes a discrete maximum principle (DMP) for the approximate solution of convection–diffusion–reaction problems obtained from the weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method on nonuniform rectangular partitions. The DMP analysis is based on a simplified formulation of the WG involving only the approximating functions defined on the boundary of each element. The simplified weak Galerkin (SWG) method has a reduced computational complexity over the usual WG, and indeed provides a discretization scheme different from the WG when the reaction terms are present. An application of the SWG on uniform rectangular partitions yields some 5‐ and 7‐point finite difference schemes for the second order elliptic equation. Numerical experiments are presented to verify the DMP and the accuracy of the scheme, particularly the finite difference scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, highly sensitive and selective fluorescent sensor based on water‐soluble nitrogen‐doped graphene quantum dots (N‐GQDs) coupled with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) was developed to detect tetracycline (TC). Unique N‐GQDs@MIPs nanomaterials were synthesized via the simple sol‐gel method due to its advantages of saving time and costs. The prepared N‐GQDs were fairly uniform and the fluorescence quantum yield (QY) was up to 58.2%. Results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed that the N‐GQDs@MIPs nanomaterial was prepared successfully. The imprinted factor (IF) of the synthesized N‐GQDs@MIPs was 3.42. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the fluorescence intensity and concentration of TC maintained a good linear range. The recovery experiment indicated this method can be applied to detecting TC in animal‐derived food. In summary, the proposed method provided a new and effective way for simple and rapid analysis of specific components in complex matrix samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ryegrass ( Lolium) species, perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) and Italian ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum Lam.), are the two most important pasture grass species for global temperate regions and are also useful for amenity purposes. Due to an outbreeding reproductive habit, high levels of genetic heterogeneity are present within cultivated varieties. A continual increase in delivery of new cultivars to the marketplace, along with limited capacity to discriminate on the basis of morphological characteristics in a grow-out test, has caused difficulties for distinctness, uniformity and stability ( DUS) testing in the current plant variety protection ( PVP) system. A range of genomic tools and resources have been generated for ryegrasses, which provide new opportunities and challenges to the current PVP system. In this review, the currently available genomic tools and resources are described, along with prospects for applications to the PVP system and testing for seed certification and purity accreditation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsatellite variants in the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A gene ( AVPR1A) RS3 have been associated with normal social behaviors variation and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in a sex-specific manner. However, neural mechanisms underlying these associations remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that AVPR1A RS3 variants affect altruistic behavior by modulating the gray matter volume (GMV) of specific brain regions in a sex-specific manner. We investigated 278 young healthy adults using the Dictator Game to assess altruistic behavior. All subjects were genotyped and main effect of AVPR1A RS3 repeat polymorphisms and interaction of genotype-by-sex on the GMV were assessed in a voxel-wise manner. We observed that male subjects with relatively short repeats allocated less money to others and exhibited a significantly smaller GMV in the right fusiform face area (FFA) compared with male long homozygotes. In male subjects, the GMV of the right FFA exhibited a significant positive correlation with altruistic behavior. A mixed mediation and moderation analysis further revealed both a significant mediation effect of the GMV of the right FFA on the association between AVPR1A RS3 repeat polymorphisms and allocation sums and a significant moderation effect of sex (only in males) on the mediation effect. Post hoc analysis showed that the GMV of the right FFA was significantly smaller in male subjects carrying allele 426 than in non-426 carriers. These results suggest that the GMV of the right FFA may be a potential mediator whereby the genetic variants in AVPR1A RS3 affect altruistic behavior in healthy male subjects. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2700-2709, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method is introduced and analyzed in this article for the biharmonic equation in its primary form. This method is highly robust and flexible in the element construction by using discontinuous piecewise polynomials on general finite element partitions consisting of polygons or polyhedra of arbitrary shape. The resulting WG finite element formulation is symmetric, positive definite, and parameter-free. Optimal order error estimates in a discrete H2 norm is established for the corresponding WG finite element solutions. Error estimates in the usual L2 norm are also derived, yielding a suboptimal order of convergence for the lowest order element and an optimal order of convergence for all high order of elements. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theory of convergence under suitable regularity assumptions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 30: 1003-1029, 2014 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly developed weak Galerkin method is proposed to solve parabolic equations. This method allows the usage of totally discontinuous functions in approximation space and preserves the energy conservation law. Both continuous and discontinuous time weak Galerkin finite element schemes are developed and analyzed. Optimal-order error estimates in both H1 and L2 norms are established. Numerical tests are performed and reported. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both cutaneous radiation injury and radiation combined injury (RCI) could have serious skin traumas, which are collectively referred to as radiation‐associated skin injuries in this paper. These two types of skin injuries require special managements of wounds, and the therapeutic effects still need to be further improved. Cutaneous radiation injuries are common in both radiotherapy patients and victims of radioactive source accidents, which could lead to skin necrosis and ulcers in serious conditions. At present, there are still many challenges in management of cutaneous radiation injuries including early diagnosis, lesion assessment, and treatment prognosis. Radiation combined injuries are special and important issues in severe nuclear accidents, which often accompanied by serious skin traumas. Mass victims of RCI would be the focus of public health concern. Three‐dimensional (3D) bioprinting, as a versatile and favourable technique, offers effective approaches to fabricate biomimetic architectures with bioactivity, which provides potentials for resolve the challenges in treating radiation‐associated skin injuries. Combining with the cutting‐edge advances in 3D skin bioprinting, the authors analyse the damage characteristics of skin wounds in both cutaneous radiation injury and RCI and look forward to the potential value of 3D skin bioprinting for the treatments of radiation‐associated skin injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a stabilization of the classical hierarchical basis (HB) method by modifying the HB functions using some computationally feasible approximate L2-projections onto finite element spaces of relatively coarse levels. The corresponding multilevel additive and multiplicative algorithms give spectrally equivalent preconditioners, and one action of such a preconditioner is of optimal order computationally. The results are regularity-free for the continuous problem (second order elliptic) and can be applied to problems with rough coefficients and local refinement. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, semi‐discrete and fully discrete error estimates are derived for the Biot's consolidation model described using a three‐field finite element formulation. These fields include displacements, total stress and pressure. The model is implemented using a backward Euler discretization in time for the fully discrete scheme and validated for benchmark examples. Computational experiments are presented to verify the convergence orders for two finite elements with discontinuous and continuous approximations for the total stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

QiXueShuFu Decoction (QXSFD) modified from the Bazhen Decoction which was originally from the classic Ming Dynasty is a traditional folk formula that boosts the body's immune system. However, its ambiguous chemical components limited its quality control evaluation. In this study, ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) fingerprint combined with multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the quality of 15 batches of QXSFD, and UPLC quadrupole‐orbitrap mass spectrometry was used to further examine the chemical components in QXSFD, after which representative compounds from each disassembled prescription were selected for comparison. Fifteen batches of samples had 33 common peaks in which 11 differential components could be used as a reference for subsequent quality control. One hundred forty‐three components were identified from QXSFD. Saponins were mainly derived from the monarch, terpenes from the minister, and polysaccharides and glycosides from the assistant. In addition, quantitative assay revealed that the content of ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, 2,3,5,4′‐tetrahydroxystilbene‐2‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside and 3,6′‐disinapoyl sucrose in the whole prescription were higher than the contents of each disassembled prescription. This is the first comprehensive quality report on the chemical components of QXSFD, which is important for pharmacodynamic material basis and quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upper Yellow River drains the central and northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Understanding the origin of this river is essential for unraveling the interplay between fluvial incision, basement uplift, and climate change. However, the formation age of the upper Yellow River is highly debated, with estimates ranging from Eocene to late Pleistocene. In order to clarify the history of the upper Yellow River, we present a heavy‐mineral dataset from drill core in the Yinchuan Basin, a depositional sink at the end of the upper Yellow River course. Our results reveal that the drainage area of the upper Yellow River (i.e., northeastern Tibetan Plateau) has been serving as a major sediment source region for the Yinchuan Basin since at least 3.3 Ma. A late Pleistocene formation of the upper Yellow River, and erosion of neighboring deserts or bounding mountains as an explanation for thick sediment accumulations in this area, is thus ruled out. Plain Language Summary: The Yellow River, the sixth longest in the world, is often called "the cradle of Chinese civilization." However, due to high sediment loads, it often flows above the level of surrounding farm fields in the Yinchuan‐Hetao Basin, the depositional zone of the upper Yellow River. Catastrophic flooding has occurred several times here in the recent past. Thus, the river is also called "China's Sorrow." Understanding where the vast amount of sediments in the Yinchuan‐Hetao Basin came from would help to guide river management. Here we present a first investigation of sediment sources in the Yinchuan Basin using heavy‐mineral data of long drill cores spanning the last 3.3 million years. Our results suggest that the majority of the sediments in this region were transported from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau by the upper Yellow River and not from erosion of the neighboring deserts/drylands or mountains. Only during the last 10,000 years might human activities have increased erosion of neighboring deserts/drylands, causing a provenance shift. Key Points: We present provenance evidence for establishment of the upper Yellow River since at least the late PlioceneThe evidence from the Yinchuan Basin drill core supports a prolonged history of the upper Yellow RiverThe sediments in the Yinchuan Basin were transported from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau mainly by the Yellow River [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polydatin (PD), a monocrystalline compound isolated from the root and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum, is widely used in inhibiting the inflammatory response and oxidative stress. PD has an anti‐inflammatory effect on colitis mice; however, information regulating the mechanism by which maintains the intestinal epithelium barrier is currently scarce. Here, we assessed the anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant of PD in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced macrophages in vitro, and explored its effects on inhibiting intestinal inflammation and maintaining the intestinal epithelium barrier in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐induced colitis mice. Results showed that PD reduced the level of proinflammatory cytokines and enzymes, including tumor necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), IL‐6, cyclooxygenase‐2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, in LPS‐induced macrophages, and improved the expression level of IL‐10. PD maintained the expression of tight junction proteins in medium (LPS‐induced macrophages medium)‐induced MCEC cells. Additionally, PD inhibited the phosphorylation of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), p65, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase‐1/2, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase, and p38 signaling pathways in LPS‐induced macrophages and facilitated the phosphorylation of AKT and the nuclear translocation of Nrf2, improving the expression of HO‐1 and NQO1. Furthermore, PD ameliorated the intestinal inflammatory response and improved the dysfunction of the colon epithelium barrier in DSS‐induced colitis mice. Taken together, our results indicated that PD inhibited inflammation and oxidative stress, maintained the intestinal epithelium barrier, and the protective role of PD was associated with the NF‐κB p65, itogen‐activated protein kinases, and AKT/Nrf2/HO‐1/NQO1 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resting‐state functional connectivity in the human brain is heritable, and previous studies have investigated the genetic basis underlying functional connectivity. However, at present, the molecular mechanisms associated with functional network centrality are still largely unknown. In this study, functional networks were constructed, and the graph‐theory method was employed to calculate network centrality in 100 healthy young adults from the Human Connectome Project. Specifically, functional connectivity strength (FCS), also known as the "degree centrality" of weighted networks, is calculated to measure functional network centrality. A multivariate technique of partial least squares regression (PLSR) was then conducted to identify genes whose spatial expression profiles best predicted the FCS distribution. We found that FCS spatial distribution was significantly positively correlated with the expression of genes defined by the first PLSR component. The FCS‐related genes we identified were significantly enriched for ion channels, axon guidance, and synaptic transmission. Moreover, FCS‐related genes were preferentially expressed in cortical neurons and young adulthood and were enriched in numerous neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Furthermore, a series of validation and robustness analyses demonstrated the reliability of the results. Overall, our results suggest that the spatial distribution of FCS is modulated by the expression of a set of genes associated with ion channels, axon guidance, and synaptic transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis progression and high incidence of cardiovascular events, hinting that atherosclerotic plaques in CKD may be vulnerable. However, its cause and mechanism remain obscure. Here, it is shown that apolipoprotein E‐deficient (ApoE−/−) mouse with CKD (CKD/ApoE−/− mouse) is a useful model for investigating the pathogenesis of plaque vulnerability, and premature senescence and phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to CKD‐associated plaque vulnerability. Subsequently, VSMC phenotypes in patients with CKD and CKD/ApoE−/− mice are comprehensively investigated. Using multi‐omics analysis and targeted and VSMC‐specific gene knockout mice, VSMCs are identified as both type‐I‐interferon (IFN‐I)‐responsive and IFN‐I‐productive cells. Mechanistically, mitochondrial damage resulting from CKD‐induced oxidative stress primes the cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase‐stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS‐STING) pathway to trigger IFN‐I response in VSMCs. Enhanced IFN‐I response then induces VSMC premature senescence and phenotypic switching in an autocrine/paracrine manner, resulting in the loss of fibrous cap VSMCs and fibrous cap thinning. Conversely, blocking IFN‐I response remarkably attenuates CKD‐associated plaque vulnerability. These findings reveal that IFN‐I response in VSMCs through immune sensing of mitochondrial damage is essential for the pathogenesis of CKD‐associated plaque vulnerability. Mitigating IFN‐I response may hold promise for the treatment of CKD‐associated cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin (MT), endogenously secreted by the pineal gland, is closely related to multiple biological processes; however, its effect on thrombopoiesis is still not well illustrated. Here, we demonstrate that MT administration can elevate peripheral platelet levels. Analysis of different stages in thrombopoiesis reveals that MT has the capacity to promote the expansion of CD34+ and CD41+ cells, and accelerate proplatelet formation (PPF) and platelet production. Furthermore, in vivo experiments show that MT has a potential therapeutic effect on radiation‐induced thrombocytopenia. The underlying mechanism suggests that both extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Akt signaling are involved in the processes of thrombopoiesis facilitated by MT. Interestingly, in addition to the direct regulation of Akt signaling by its upstream phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K), ERK1/2 signaling is also regulated by PI3K via its effector, dual adaptor for phosphotyrosine and 3‐phosphoinositides (DAPP1), in megakaryocytes after MT treatment. Moreover, the expression level of DAPP1 during megakaryocyte differentiation is closely related to the activation of ERK1/2 and Akt at different stages of thrombopoiesis. In conclusion, our data suggest that MT treatment can promote thrombopoiesis, which is modulated by the DAPP1‐orchestrated activation of ERK1/2 and Akt signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic selection ( GS) is a powerful method for exploitation of DNA sequence polymorphisms in breeding improvement, through the prediction of breeding values based on all markers distributed genome-wide. Forage grasses and legumes provide important targets for GS implementation, as many key traits are difficult or expensive to assess, and are measured late in the breeding cycle. Generic attributes of forage breeding programmes are described, along with status of genomic resources for a representative species group (ryegrasses). Two schemes for implementing GS in ryegrass breeding are described. The first requires relatively little modification of current schemes, but could lead to significant reductions in operating cost. The second scheme would allow two rounds of selection for key agronomic traits within a time period previously required for a single round, potentially leading to doubling of genetic gain rate, but requires a purpose-designed reference population. In both schemes, the limited extent of linkage disequilibrium ( LD), which is the major challenge for GS implementation in ryegrass breeding, is addressed. The strategies also incorporate recent advances in DNA sequencing technology to minimize costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like the old Chinese saying that a solid dyke can collapse because of the presence of an ant hole, the "ants" uremic toxins make the "solid" fibrous cap of atherosclerotic plaques susceptible to collapse via innate immune activation in vascular smooth muscle cells, as described by Ke Yang, Jinghong Zhao, and co-workers in article number 2002738. Chronic Kidney Disease: Mitochondrial Damage-Induced Innate Immune Activation in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Promotes Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Plaque Vulnerability (Adv. Sci. 5/2021). [Extracted from the article]