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Scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease) is caused by the causative agent, Orientia tsutsugamushi, and it is a widespread zoonosis and vector-borne disease. Chigger mites (trombiculid mites) are the exclusive vectors of this disease. To date, more than 500 species of chigger mites have been documented in China, and six of them have been proved to be the main effective vector species of scrub typhus: Leptotrombidium deliense, L. scutellare, L. rubellum, L. sialkotense, L. wenense and L. insulare. The present paper reviewed the research history and progress of the six vector chigger species in China, which covered their history of nomenclature, vector roles, morphological identification, life cycle, distribution, host selection and seasonal fluctuation, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving ambitious climate goals would require enormous structural modifications in fossil energy-dominated power systems. Unpredictability of the future makes a cautious decision necessary in the low-carbon transition in power systems. Choosing a proper decision method when planning could reduce cost losses when unpredictable emergencies have a disruptive impact on a power system. This is extremely crucial for countries whose power system is still expanding rapidly because their development costs are already high enough and the decarbonisation pathway is uncertain and influenced a lot by the way of decision. Therefore, in this paper, we present a multi-region load despatch transition pathway planning model for power systems with huge demand growth, which can be used for both short-term and long-term decision methods. By comparing the transition costs of various decision-making methods, the decision with lower costs can be obtained. China is taken as a case study. Results show that in order to minimise the cost loss caused by inestimable incidents, China's power system adopts long-term or short-term decisions based on expectations before 2036 or 2041. The cost loss of up to 500 billion CNY can be reduced by selecting a decision method with lower costs according to the rough expectation. • A low-carbon transition optimisation model for rapidly expanding power systems is proposed. • Decision-making strategies that can reduce cost losses are found quantitatively. • Planning strategy of China's power system relates to the forecast before 2036 or 2041. • Up to 500 billion CNY cost loss can be reduced by selecting a suitable decision. • Overly positive renewable power generation construction has little benefit in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strict climate goals require a rapid reduction of carbon emissions across society. It is a considerable challenge to design decarbonization pathways considering co-operation in energy and carbon emissions across multiple sectors simultaneously. In order to obtain the decarbonization pathway for the whole society, this paper establishes a long-term multi-sector low-carbon transition pathway planning model. Besides inter-sectoral energy supply and demand, this study fully considers the allocation of carbon emissions quotas among different sectors by modified-grandfathering method, which takes into account both equity and efficiency principles. The decarbonization targets of different sectors, corresponding mitigation pathways and energy consumption can be calculated. China is taken as a case study. Results show that China's total energy consumption peaks at 5 billion tces around 2030, then falls below 4 billion in 2060, with the proportion of primary electricity and other clean energy reaching over 50 percent. Besides, the realisation of carbon neutralisation in China depends heavily on the improvement of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and end-use electrification rate. Moreover, the study of different quota allocation ways shows that the increase in the contribution rate of power system mitigation leads to the reduction of the total low-carbon transition costs, which also aggravates administrative difficulties. • A multi-sector model is set up to plan the long-term low-carbon transition pathway. • Modified-grandfathering allocation method can consider multiple indicator factors. • The clean energy consumption of China accounts for about 55% in 2060. • The end-use electrification rate in China is close to 70% in 2060. • The transition pathway with lower cost increases administrative difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a new species of chigger mite (Acari: Trombiculidae), Gahrliepia cangshanensis n. sp., from rodents in southwest China. The specimens were collected from Yunnan red-backed voles, Eothenomys miletus (Thomas, 1914), and a Chinese white-bellied rat, Niviventer confucianus (Milne-Edwards, 1871) in Yunnan Province. The new species is unique mainly in its number of dorsal setae (n=21), and it has the following features: fT (formula of palpotarsus)= 4B (B= branched), fp (formula of palpal seta)=B/N/N/N/B (N= naked), a broad tongue-shaped scutum with an almost straight posterior margin, and 17 PPLs (posterior posterolateral seta) with a length of 36-43 μm. This chigger mite may also infect other rodent hosts and may be distributed in other localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]