Search

The sensitivity of near-surface permafrost to both climate warming and engineering disturbance is widely acknowledged. However, long-term responses of permafrost to the dual impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbances remain poorly understood. Using a 20-year dataset of ground temperature under roadway and natural ground surface, in this study not only we identify the thermal impacts of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, in addition to those of climate warming, but also quantify the differences between these two impacts. The results show that variation rate of permafrost table under the highway was approximately 3.3 to 11.1 times greater than that under natural ground surface, along with a significant warming rate of permafrost under the highway. Under the dual thermal impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbances, the duration of ground frozen state at a depth of 0.5 m under roadway is 38.5 ± 6.36% shorter than that under natural ground surface. Meanwhile, rising rate of ground temperature at depth of 0.5 m beneath the asphaltic road surface is 51.7 ± 14.46% faster than that beneath the natural ground surface. This work underscores the importance for correctly understanding the response mechanisms and mitigative measures for hazards resulting from the dual impacts of climate warming and engineering disturbances, particularly by altering the heat absorption effect of asphalt pavement and by utilizing the roadbed cooling approaches. • Dual thermal impacts accelerate warming and thawing of the permafrost under highway. • Permafrost under highway thaws 3.3–11.1 times faster than that under natural ground. • 0.5 m in depth under natural ground remains frozen ~38.5% longer than under highway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We established a SYBR Green I-based real-timeRT-PCR assay to detect FeAstV. • The method in this study is highly sensitive, specific, and reproducible. • The assay is applicable in large-scale clinical testing because of its low cost. In this study, a SYBR Green I-based real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed for the clinical diagnosis of feline astroviruses (FeAstVs). Specific primers were designed based on the conserved region of the FeAstV ORF1b gene. Experiments for specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability of the assay were carried out. In addition, the assay was evaluated using clinical samples. Specificity analysis indicated that the assay showed negative results with samples of Feline Parvovirus, Feline Herpesvirus, Feline Calicivirus, Feline Bocavirus, and Feline Coronavirus, indicating good specificity of the assay. Sensitivity analysis showed that the SYBR Green I-based real-time RT-PCR method could detect as low as 3.72 × 101 copies/μL of template, which is 100-fold more sensitive compared to the conventional RT-PCR. Both intra-assay and inter-assay variability were lower than 1 %, indicating good reproducibility. Furthermore, an analysis of 150 fecal samples showed that the positive detection rate of SYBR Green I-based real-time RT-PCR was higher than that of the conventional RT-PCR, indicating the high reliability of the method. The assay is cheap and effective. Therefore, it could provide support for the detection of FeAstV in large-scale clinical testing and epidemiological investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important region of desertification in China, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has attracted great attention. However, the study of land desertification history at the millennia-scale on the interior plateau is grossly inadequate. In a severely and rapidly desertifying area in the Beiluhe Basin on the interior QTP, grain-size distributions, sand particle morphologies, and 7 available optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of sand sediment from two fixed aeolian dunes were obtained by several laboratory tests. Combining these results with plateau paleoclimate and contemporary aeolian sand activities in several adjacent regions, two phases of evident enhanced aeolian sand accumulation corresponding to desert expansion over the past 1500 years in the study region were identified. The first enhanced phase (850–700 a B.P.) might have been closely related to suitable trapping of denser vegetation cover and degradation of permafrost on the QTP as a consequence of warm and wet climates. Reactivation of local older sediments caused by cold and dry climates might have been responsible for the second enhanced phase (1400–1200 a B.P.). Permafrost plays an important role in aeolian sand accumulation and desertification on the QTP. However, expansion (or degradation) of permafrost has not always prevented (or promoted) aeolian desertification development on the QTP since the Last Glaciation Maximum (LGM, 21–14–12 ka B.P.). The effects of permafrost on aeolian desertification are governed by numerous factors such as preceding and current climate conditions, locations of permafrost and aeolian sand activity, and trap conditions due to vegetation and topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The aeolian sand thickness governs the hydrothermal regime of the shallow soil. • The aeolian sand cover increases the amplitude of variation on soil temperature. • The aeolian sand cover decreases the soil water content. • The aeolian sand cover weakens the soil heat budgets. The hydrothermal process within the aeolian sand layer on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) plays a key role in understanding the interaction between desertification and underlying frozen soil. However, little is known about the hydrothermal dynamics of aeolian sand and underling soil layer in the frozen soil zone on the QTP. In this study, a sparse vegetation cover site and three aeolian sand cover sites with different sand thicknesses were established to study the hydrothermal dynamics within aeolian sand layer. The results show that the thickness of aeolian sand is critical in the soil hydrothermal process under sand cover. The increase in thickness of the aeolian sand layer resulted in an advance in the onset of the freezing and thawing of soil, and accelerated movement of the freezing and thawing front. In addition, the increase in sand thickness caused an increase in soil temperature during the thawing stage and the warming period of the thawed stage, whereas a decrease occurred during the cooling period of the thawed stage, the freezing stage and the frozen stage, which ultimately caused the enlargement of the annual range of ground temperature. Furthermore, in the study area, the actual evapotranspiration of sand-covered surface was larger than that of the naked surface. The water content also decreased with increasing sand thickness in different stages, which separately decreased the heat budget in both the warm and cold season because of the smaller thermal conductivity of aeolian sand with a lower water content. This study states that through the special hydrothermal process, have an adverse impact on the occurrence and formation of the frozen soil in the QTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline bocavirus 1 (FBoV-1) may be associated with diarrhea in cats. In this study, a SYBR Green I-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was established to detect FBoV-1. The melting curve showed a single melting peak at 83.0 ℃. The results of sensitivity showed that the detection limit of the qPCR was 3.87 × 101 copies/μL. Of note, the detection limit of the conventional polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) was 3.87 × 103 copies/μL. The highest intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV%) were 0.98% and 1.42%, respectively. The positive detection rate of 128 clinical samples using the qPCR and the cPCR was 7.0% (9/128) and 4.7% (6/128), respectively. Taken together, these results indicated that the established qPCR assay has good sensitivity, high specificity, and good reproducibility. Therefore, it could provide support for the rapid and efficient clinical detection of FBoV-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the phylogenetic and molecular characteristics of feline astrovirus. A total of 33 fecal samples of domestic cats with or without diarrhea were collected from the Anhui province, and two positive samples were detected. The complete genome and ORF2 of the two strains were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. AH-1-2020 and AH-2-2020 displayed 83.4% homology, and their homologies with other reference strains were 75.3%–83.4% and 83.4%–95.0%, respectively. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that all strains could be classified into three different clusters; therefore, the mean amino acid genetic distances (p-dist) among the three clusters were estimated. The results suggested that the two strains and other FeAstV strains were grouped into three genotypes, with AH-1-2020 belonging to a novel genotype. High similarity was observed (65.9%–66.5% nucleotide identity and 63.8%–64.8% amino acid identity) in ORF2 between porcine astrovirus type 1 and AH-1-2020. Furthermore, inter-specific recombination between porcine astrovirus type 1 and FeAstV was observed. We, therefore, inferred that inter-specific transmission may exist between pigs and cats; however, further studies are required to verify this. This is the first report on the genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of FeAstVs in the Anhui province and would further the current understanding of the genetic diversity and epidemiology of FeAstVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aeolian sand affects hydrothermal state of the active layer significantly. • Aeolian sand dries shallow ground and accumulates water in soil below sand. • Sand layer thickening increases water accumulation in the soil below sand. • Effect of aeolian sand on permafrost varies with variation in sand layer thick. • Aeolian sand has a dual-effect on permafrost degradation. Aeolian sand significantly affects permafrost degradation, but the effect of the aeolian sand on the permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau remains unknown. The sand layer thickness is critical to its role. However, little quantitative research has been conducted on the effect of the sand layer thickness on its role. In this study, using CoupModel, we investigated the differences in the impact of the aeolian sand cover on the hydrothermal state of permafrost with 20 different sand layer thicknesses (10 ∼ 200 cm, 10 cm increment) and analyzed the mechanisms that explain the different impacts. The results reveal that the active layer is where the aeolian sand has the most impact on the permafrost. The aeolian sand layer accumulates precipitation into the soil below the sand, thereby significantly drying the shallow soil layer of the current stratum. Moreover, the thicker the sand layer, the more water accumulates in the underlying soil layer. In the middle-upper active layer, the initial soil heat storage, soil heat flow interception, and liquid water and ice contents govern the soil temperatures that increase in cold seasons and decrease in warm seasons as the sand layer thickens. Near the bottom of the active layer, the initial soil heat storage and soil heat flow interception control the soil temperatures that increase in cold seasons but fluctuate between sand layer thicknesses of 50 cm, 70 cm, and 120 cm in warm seasons as the sand layer thickens. Permafrost degradation is enhanced by sand layers thinner than 150 cm and retarded by sand layers thicker than 150 cm, respectively. The thermal state, soil properties, and accumulation process of the aeolian sand also contribute to this effect of the aeolian sand on the permafrost. In the plateau aeolian deserts, the sparse vegetation promotes permafrost degradation and the thinner seasonal snow cover protects permafrost. Moreover, under the different climate during the geological history period, the island or discontinuous permafrost might be formed due to the pluvial-radiation talik caused by the thicker sand layer or dunes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bufavirus is a novel virus associated with canine gastroenteritis. Three strains of bufavirus were first detected in dog feces collected from Anhui province in Eastern China. The near-complete genome sequences were amplified. Sequence alignment showed 98.3–99.5% homology between the three bufavirus strains and reference strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed the distributed viruses forming a cluster of close relationships. Selective pressure analysis of the VP2 region indicated that the canine bufavirus (CBuV) was mainly subject to negative selection during evolution. The negative selection site was located on the residue of B-cell epitopes, indicating minimal change to the virus's immunogenicity. Since this is the first report of CBuV circulating in Anhui Province, this study will provide further understanding of the phylogenetic and molecular characteristics of CBuV and serve as a reference for prevention and vaccine development. • Molecular evidence was found for the prevalence of canine bufavirus in Anhui province. • The canine bufavirus was evolutionarily conservative. • Canine bufavirus was mainly subject to negative selection, and part of the site coincides with the B-cell epitope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]