Two Second-Order Ecient Numerical Schemes for the Boussinesq Equations

In this paper,we construct two fully decoupled,second-order semi-discrete numerical schemes for the Boussinesq equations based on the scalar auxiliary variable(SAV)approach.By introducing a scalar auxiliary variable,the original Boussinesq system is transformed into an equivalent one.Then we discretize it using the second-order backward di erentiation formula(BDF2)and Crank-Nicolson(CN)to obtain two second-order time-advanced schemes.In both numerical schemes,a pressure-correction method is employed to decouple the velocity and pressure.These two schemes possess the desired property that they can be fully decoupled with satisfying unconditional stability.We rigorously prove both the unconditional stability and unique solvability of the discrete schemes.Furthermore,we provide detailed implementations of the decoupling procedures.Finally,various 2D numerical simulations are performed to verify the accuracy and energy stability of the proposed schemes.

Dynamics and genetic regulation of macronutrient concentrations during grain development in maize

Nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P), and potassium(K) are essential macronutrients that are crucial not only for maize growth and development, but also for crop yield and quality. The genetic basis of macronutrient dynamics and accumulation during grain filling in maize remains largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated grain N, P, and K concentrations in 206 recombinant inbred lines generated from a cross of DH1M and T877 at six time points after pollination. We then calculated conditional phenotypic values at different time intervals to explore the dynamic characteristics of the N, P, and K concentrations. Abundant phenotypic variations were observed in the concentrations and net changes of these nutrients. Unconditional quantitative trait locus(QTL) mapping revealed 41 non-redundant QTLs, including 17, 16, and 14 for the N, P, and K concentrations, respectively. Conditional QTL mapping uncovered 39 non-redundant QTLs related to net changes in the N, P, and K concentrations. By combining QTL, gene expression, co-expression analysis, and comparative genomic data, we identified 44, 36, and 44 candidate genes for the N, P, and K concentrations, respectively, including GRMZM2G371058 encoding a Doftype zinc finger DNA-binding family protein, which was associated with the N concentration, and GRMZM2G113967encoding a CBL-interacting protein kinase, which was related to the K concentration. The results deepen our understanding of the genetic factors controlling N, P, and K accumulation during maize grain development and provide valuable genes for the genetic improvement of nutrient concentrations in maize.

Analysis of the Conditional Correlations from Different Genetic Systems Between the Protein Content and the Appearance Quality Traits of Indica Rice

A factorial mating design in two environments was conducted using 7 cytoplasmic male sterile lines （A） and 5 restorer lines （R） along with their F1 （A × R） and F2 populations. The unconditional and conditional analyses of genetic models and the corresponding statistic methods, including endospermic, cytoplasmic, and maternal plant genetic systems, were used to analyze the genetic relationships between protein content （PC） and the appearance quality traits of indica rice （Oryza sativa L.）. The results from unconditional analysis indicated that PC was significantly correlated with the appearance quality traits of rice, except for the brown rice thickness （BRT）. Only the genetic covariance between PC and the brown rice width （BRW） was positively correlative, whereas all the other pairwise traits were negatively correlative. The results from conditional analysis revealed that the weight of brown rice （WBR） or the amylose content （AC） could significantly affect the relationships between PC and the appearance quality traits of indica rice. The conditional analysis showed that WBR might negatively affect the relationships between PC and the brown rice length （BRL）, BRW, or BRT through the geuotype x environmental （GE） interaction effects, but positively affected the relationships between PC and the ratio of brown rice length to width （RLW） or the ratio of brown rice length to thickness （RLT）. The amylase content could positively affect the relationships between PC and BRL, RLW, RLT through the cytoplasmic effects and maternal additive effects, but negatively affected the relationships between PC and BRW.

A Buddhist Philosophy of Global Mind for Peaceful Future

While addressing global problems including conflict and violence is a common human agenda, they are human-caused： They are created and sustained through our thoughts. Though external causes and conditions cannot be ignored, the most fundamental problem is an epistemological one---our way of knowing and viewing the world. As the shape of the global conditions relies on our thoughts or ways of thinking, it is imperative to make a critical analysis of our mind. This paper explores how the Buddhist philosophy of human mind develops a model of global mind to achieve a peaceful future. Firstly, the analysis offers the concept of＂the conditioned mind＂--mind shaped by socially constructed frame of reference and examines how it becomes a cause of trouble. Secondly, it proposes the concept of ＂the unconditioned mind＂--mind-state transcendent of an attachment to any form of frame of reference as an antidote to the potential danger of the conditioned state. Then, global mind is explored. It is characterized as the mixture of the conditioned and the unconditioned mind with the practice of multiple functions of mind--mindful practice, dialectical philosophical contemplation, and compassionate mind. The appreciation and enacting of both the conditioned mind and the unconditioned mind underpinned by the multiple functions of mind empowers us to touch universal humanity and inherent dignity of all human beings and to co-create new values, norms, and visions with those having different frames of reference to embody interdependent and interconnected human relationships.

Identification of unconditional and conditional QTL for oil, protein and starch content in maize

Oil, protein and starch are key chemical components of maize kernels. A population of 245 recombinant inbred lines(RILs) derived from a cross between a high-oil inbred line, By804, and a regular inbred line, B73, was used to dissect the genetic interrelationships among oil, starch and protein content at the individual QTL level by unconditional and conditional QTL mapping. Combined phenotypic data over two years with a genetic linkage map constructed using 236 markers, nine, five and eight unconditional QTL were detected for oil, protein and starch content, respectively. Some QTL for oil, protein and starch content were clustered in the same genomic regions and the direction of their effects was consistent with the sign of their correlation. In conditional QTL mapping, 37(29/8) unconditional QTL were not detected or showed reduced effects, four QTL demonstrated similar effects under unconditional and conditional QTL mapping, and 17 additional QTL were identified by conditional QTL mapping. These results imply that there is a strong genetic relationship among oil, protein and starch content in maize kernels. The information generated in the present investigation could be helpful in marker-assisted breeding for maize varieties with desirable kernel quality traits.

High Physical Activity is Associated with an Improved Lipid Profile and Resting Heart Rate among Healthy Middle-aged Chinese People

Objective To investigate the effects of physical activity （PA） on dyslipidemia and elevated resting heart rate （RHR） in a large-scale cross-sectional study in China. Methods We recruited community-based individuals who were 40-60 years old using a cluster sampling method. The PA levels of the participants were classified as low, moderate, or high, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Dyslipidemia was defined as the detection of abnormalities in lipid indicators, and 4 lipid parameters were evaluated using fasting blood samples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations of PA with dyslipidemia and RHR. Results A total of 10,321 participants （38.88% men） were included in this study. The percentages of individuals with high, moderate, and low PA levels were 46.5%, 43.9%, and 9.6%, respectively. In both men and women, high PA provided odds ratios of 0.88 [95% confidence interval （CI）： 0.83, 0.94] for dyslipidemia and 0.82 （95% CI： 0.73, 0.92） for elevated RHR, compared to participants with low PA. Conclusion Our data suggested that substantial health benefits （related to dyslipidemia and elevated RHR） occurred at higher intensity PA, with greater energy consumption, in middle-aged Chinese people, and particularly in men.

Unconditional and Conditional QTL Mapping for Tiller Numbers at Various Stages with Single Segment Substitution Lines in Rice(Oryza sativa L.)

Tiller is one of the most important agronomic traits which influences quantity and quality of effective panicles and finally influences yield in rice. It is important to understand ＂static＂ and ＂dynamic＂ information of the QTLs for tillers in rice. This work was the first time to simultaneously map unconditional and conditional QTLs for tiller numbers at various stages by using single segment substitution lines in rice. Fourteen QTLs for tiller number, distributing on the corresponding substitution segments of chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were detected. Both the number and the effect of the QTLs for tiller number were various at different stages, from 6 to 9 in the number and from 1.49 to 3.49 in the effect, respectively. Tiller number QTLs expressed in a time order, mainly detected at three stages of 0-7 d, 14-21 d and 35-42 d after transplanting with 6 positive, 9 random and 6 negative expressing QTLs, respectively. Each of the QTLs expressed one time at least during the whole duration of rice. The tiller number at a specific stage was determined by sum of QTL effects estimated by the unconditional method, while the increasing or decreasing number in a given time interval was controlled by the total of QTL effects estimated by the conditional method. These results demonstrated that it is highly effective and accurate for mapping of the QTLs by using single segment substitution lines and the conditional analysis methodology.

Stability of average acceleration method for structures with nonlinear damping

The energy approach is used to theoretically verify that the average acceleration method （AAM）, which is unconditionally stable for linear dynamic systems, is also unconditionally stable for structures with typical nonlinear damping, including the special case of velocity power type damping with a bilinear restoring force model. Based on the energy approach, the stability of the AAM is proven for SDOF structures using the mathematical features of the velocity power function and for MDOF structures by applying the virtual displacement theorem. Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy of the theoretical analysis.

The Unconditional Stability for the Hyperneutral Type Constant Linear Control System with Delays (I)

By means of the frequency domain method and the inequality analysis, we discuss the unconditional stability problem for the hyperneutral type constant linear control system with delays, and obtain some precise sufficient, sufficient and necessary conditions.

Quantum Key Distribution against Trojan Horse Attacks

Realistic experimental apparatus of quantum cryptography are imperfect, which may be utilized by a potential eavesdropper to eavesdrop on the communication. We show that quantum communication may be improved with quantum teleportation and entanglement swapping, which is robustly secure against the most general Trojan horse attacks. Our scheme is not an improvement of the communication apparatus, but the improvement of quantum communication protocol itself. We show that our modified schemes may be implemented with current technology.

Stability of an explicit time-integration algorithm for hybrid tests, considering stiffness hardening behavior

An explicit unconditionally stable algorithm for hybrid tests,which is developed from the traditional HHT-α algorithm,is proposed.The unconditional stability is first proven by the spectral radius method for a linear system.If the value of α is selected within [-0.5,0],then the algorithm is shown to be unconditionally stable.Next,the root locus method for a discrete dynamic system is applied to analyze the stability of a nonlinear system.The results show that the proposed method is conditionally stable for dynamic systems with stiffness hardening.To improve the stability of the proposed method,the structure stiffness is then identified and updated.Both numerical and pseudo-dynamic tests on a structure with the collision effect prove that the stiffness updating method can effectively improve stability.

A family of explicit algorithms for general pseudodynamic testing

A new family of explicit pseudodynamic algorithms is proposed for general pseudodynamic testing. One particular subfamily seems very promising for use in general pseudodynamic testing since the stability problem for a structure does not need to be considered. This is because this subfamily is unconditionally stable for any instantaneous stiffness softening system, linear elastic system and instantaneous stiffness hardening system that might occur in the pseudodynamic testing of a real structure. In addition, it also offers good accuracy when compared to a general second-order accurate method for both linear elastic and nonlinear systems.

Conditional and unconditional QTLs mapping of gluten strength in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Dissecting the genetic relationships among gluten-related traits is important for high quality wheat breeding. Quantita- tive trait loci （QTLs） analysis for gluten strength, as measured by sedimentation volume （SV） and gluten index （GI）, was performed using the QTLNetwork 2.0 software. Recombinant inbred lines （RILs） derived from the winter wheat varieties Shannong 01-35xGaocheng 9411 were used for the study. A total of seven additive QTLs for gluten strength were identi- fied using an unconditional analysis. QGi1D-13 and QSv1D-14 were detected through unconditional and conditional QTLs mapping, which explained 9.15-45.08% of the phenotypic variation. QTLs only identified under conditional QTL mapping were located in three marker intervals： WPT-3743-GLU-D1 （1D）, WPT-7001-WMC258 （1B）, and WPT-8682-WPT-5562 （1B）. Six pairs of epistatic QTLs distributed nine chromosomes were identified. Of these, two main effect QTLs （QGi1D-13 and QSvlD-14） and 12 pairs of epistatic QTLs were involved in interactions with the environment. The results indicated that chromosomes 1B and 1D are important for the improvement of gluten strength in common wheat. The combination of conditional and unconditional QTLs mapping could be useful for a better understanding of the interdependence of different traits at the QTL molecular level.

Mining Applicable Elite Alleles of Growth Duration, Plant Height and Panicle Number per Plant by Conditional QTL Mapping in Japonica Rice

Unconditional and conditional QTL mapping were conducted for growth duration (GD), plant height (PH) and effective panicle number per plant (PN) using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between two japonica rice varieties Xiushui 79 and C Bao. The RIL population consisted of 254 lines was planted in two environments, Nanjing and Sihong, Jiangsu Province, China. Results showed that additive effects were major in all of QTLs for GD, PH and PN detected by the two methods, and the epistatic effects explained a small proportion of phenotypic variation. No interactions were detected between additive QTL and environment, and between epistatic QTL pairs and environment. After growth duration was adjusted to an identical level, RM80-160bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for PN, with an additive effect of 0.71. When effective panicle number per plant was adjusted to an identical level, RM448-240bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for GD, with an additive effect of 4.64. After plant height was adjusted to an identical level, RM80-160bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for PN, with an additive effect of 0.62, and RM448-240bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for GD, with an additive effect of 3.89. These applicable elite alleles could be used to improve target traits without influencing the other two traits.

Nonlinear evaluations of unconditionally stable explicit algorithms

Two explicit integration algorithms with unconditional stability for linear elastic systems have been successfully developed for pseudodynamic testing. Their numerical properties in the solution of a linear elastic system have been well explored and their applications to the pseudodynamic testing of a nonlinear system have been shown to be feasible. However, their numerical properties in the solution of a nonlinear system are not apparent. Therefore, the performance of both algorithms for use in the solution of a nonlinear system has been analytically evaluated after introducing an instantaneous degree of nonlinearity. The two algorithms have roughly the same accuracy for a small value of the product of the natural frequency and step size. Meanwhile, the first algorithm is unconditionally stable when the instantaneous degree of nonlinearity is less than or equal to 1, and it becomes conditionally stable when it is greater than 1. The second algorithm is conditionally stable as the instantaneous degree of nonlinearity is less than 1/9, and becomes unstable when it is greater than 1. It can have unconditional stability for the range between 1/9 and 1. Based on these evaluations, it was concluded that the first algorithm is superior to the second one. Also, both algorithms were found to require commensurate computational efforts, which are much less than needed for the Newmark explicit method in general structural dynamic problems.

THE UNCONDITIONAL STABILITY FOR THE HYPERNEUTRAL TYPE CONSTANT LINEAR CONTROL SYSTEM WITH DELAYS

In this paper, by means of the frequency domain method and the inequality analysis, unconditional stability problem for the hyperneutral type constant linear control system with delays are discussed, and some precise sufficient, sufficient and necessary conditions are obtained.

The Unconditional Stability for the Multigroup Multidelays Neutral Type Linear Constant Control System

Applying the frequency domain method and the inequality method, we discussed the unconditional stability problem of the multigroup multidelays neutral type linear constant continuous control system, and obtained some sufficient conditions.

Numerical Analysis of Linear and Nonlinear Time-Fractional Subdiffusion Equations

In this paper,a new type of the discrete fractional Gronwall inequality is developed,which is applied to analyze the stability and convergence of a Galerkin spectral method for a linear time-fractional subdifiFusion equation.Based on the temporal-spatial error splitting argument technique,the discrete fractional Gronwall inequality is also applied to prove the unconditional convergence of a semi-implicit Galerkin spectral method for a nonlinear time-fractional subdififusion equation.

A two-step unconditionally stable explicit method with controllable numerical dissipations

A family of unconditionally stable direct integration algorithm with controllable numerical dissipations is proposed. The numerical properties of the new algorithms are controlled by three parameters α, β and γ. By the consistent and stability analysis, the proposed algorithms achieve the second-order accuracy and are unconditionally stable under the condition that α≥-0.5, β≤ 0.5 and γ≥-(1+α)/2. Compared with other unconditionally stable algorithms, such as Chang's algorithms and CR algorithm, the proposed algorithms are found to be superior in terms of the controllable numerical damping ratios. The unconditional stability and numerical damping ratios of the proposed algorithms are examined by three numerical examples. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms have a superior performance and can be used expediently in solving linear elastic dynamics problems.

A new alternating group explicit-implicit algorithm with high accuracy for dispersive equation

In this paper, a new alternating group explicit-implicit （nAGEI） scheme for dispersive equations with a periodic boundary condition is derived. This new unconditionally stable scheme has a fourth-order truncation error in space and a convergence ratio faster than some known alternating methods such as ASEI and AGE. Comparison in accuracy with the AGEI and AGE methods is presented in the numerical experiment.