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The outbreak and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the implementation of physical education theory (PET) curriculums among global colleges and universities. This study aimed to describe the design and students' evaluation of a blended "Sports Multimedia Courseware Design" course among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using information communication technologies, a 4-month blended course was developed, which consisted of 36 credits (18-credit online self-learning + 18-credit offline group-learning). A total of 1300 Chinese university students who majored in physical education, completed the blended course from Mar to Jun 2020, among which 238 (69.75% males; 21 ± 1.2 years) were randomly recruited to evaluate the course in terms of three aspects: (1) online self-learning, (2) offline group-learning, and (3) overall learning outcomes. A descriptive analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS 27.0. Students' overall positive evaluation supported a successful development and implementation of the blended course. Over 90% of students fulfilled the learning tasks and satisfied with the online learning resources. About 83% of students indicated high levels of autonomous motivation and engagement in online self-learning. Approximately 88% of students showed positive attitudes to the offline group-learning content, while the participation rate (60%) was relatively lower than of the online self-learning. Over 50% of the students indicated self-improvements in diverse aspects after attending the blended course. Blended online and offline pedagogy shows apparent promise in delivering the PET course among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further application and comprehensive evaluation are warranted in the future.

Research findings This study aimed to explore whether the fusion of constructivism and instructivism could be observed in the teaching dialogs during the Engineer Block Building (EBB) activities in Chinese kindergartens. Altogether 20 block building activities about the theme of architecture were videotaped and coded with the "Engineer Design Process" (EDP) framework and the "Cam-UNAM Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis" ("SEDA"). Analysis of the 5808 coded turns of dialogs found that: (1) all the six EDP phases could be observed in the 20 activities, which could be regarded as EBB; (2) all the SEDA types were adopted by the 15 Chinese teachers, who endeavored to deliver EBB knowledge and skills; (3) the teachers from high ranking or public kindergartens employed significantly more Try and Decide processes of EDP than those from no-ranking or private kindergartens; and (4) the top three types of SEDA employed by the teachers were "invite opinions or ideas", "propose action or inquiry activity", and "state agreement or position". These results jointly indicated that the fusion of pedagogies was also dominant in Chinese EBB activities. Practice or Policy: More culturally and contextually appropriate guidance and training on EBB and EDP should be provided to enhance early childhood teachers' professionalism and professional development.

In China, a shift in early math teaching from a teacher-directed approach to a child-centered approach has been recommended. This study explored Chinese teachers' beliefs about early math teaching and learning, math teaching efficacy, and math-related practices in the context of unit block play. Early childhood teachers (N = 391) from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, participated in this study. The results of a questionnaire-based survey indicated that teachers' beliefs about math teaching and learning and math teaching efficacy were significant predictors of their math teaching practices during unit block play. Math teaching efficacy mediated the positive relationship between constructivist beliefs and child-centered practices, but not between traditional beliefs and teacher-directed practices. The results have implications for early childhood teacher education in China and future studies on early math teaching and learning.

The use of oilseed rape (OS, Brassica napus L.) as a winter green manure is crucial for enhancing soil fertility and reducing chemical N application in paddy fields. However, the impacts of replacing varying amounts of chemical N with OS on CH4 and N2O emissions in paddy soils have not been well evaluated. In this study, GHG emissions, soil properties and OS decomposition in a rice-ratooning system with different OS-urea N replacement rates (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) were investigated. Our results indicate that 84.7–90.7% of the initial C and 97.5–98.4% of the N were released during the 192-day decomposition process, and that the mineralization patterns of net C and net N in the OS residue were consistent with a single exponential decay model. The lowest CH4 emissions (9.97 g m−2) were observed at 0% OS, while the highest N2O emissions (0.40 g m−2) were observed at this level of substitution. Conversely, the highest CH4 emissions (20.71 g m−2) and lowest N2O emissions (0.07 g m−2) were observed at 100% OS. Compared to 0% substitution, 25% substitution significantly decreased GWP and GHGI without reducing rice grain yield. Environmental parameters such as soil redox, NH4+-N and residual N and C were shown to be significantly associated with CH4 emissions, whereas soil redox, NH4+-N and residual C were the main drivers of N2O emissions. In conclusion, 25% substitution of OS was the most cost-effective measure for balancing greenhouse gas emission and rice yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current standard for evaluating road conditions worldwide relies primarily on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) and the International Roughness Index (IRI). The IRI can be further calculated to obtain the Riding Quality Index (RQI). To assess pavement damage, various imaging equipment is commonly utilized, providing consistent results that align with actual road conditions. For roughness detection, the Laser Profilometer offers excellent results but may not be suitable for rural roads with poor conditions due to its high inspection cost and the need for a stable environmental setting. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop cost-effective, rapid, and accurate roughness inspection methods for these roads, which constitute a significant portion of the road network. This study examined the relationship between PCI and RQI using nonlinear regression on 30,088 valid pavement inspection records from various regions in China (totaling 24,624.222 km). Our objective was to estimate RQI solely from PCI data, capitalizing on its broad coverage and superior accuracy. Additionally, we explored how PCI levels impact RQI decay rates. The models in this study were compared to several models published in previous studies at last. Our findings indicate that the model performs best for low-grade roads with low PCI scores, achieving over 90% accuracy for both cement concrete and asphalt concrete pavements. Furthermore, different levels of pavement damage have distinct effects on RQI decay rates, with the most significant impact observed when the pavement is severely damaged. The models in this study outperformed all the other available models in the literature. Consequently, under limited inspection conditions in rural areas, pavement damage inspection results can effectively predict riding quality or roughness, thereby reducing inspection costs. Overall, this study offers valuable insights but has limitations, including limited global generalizability and the model's applicability to high-grade roads. Future research is needed to address these issues and enhance practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy; a disease involving the peripheral nervous system which is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis worldwide. So far, it is still lack of a comprehensive overview and understanding of the national epidemiological, clinical characteristics, and the risk factors of GBS in China, as well as differences between China and other countries and regions in these respects. With the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an epidemiological or phenotypic association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and GBS has attracted great attention. In this review, we outlined the current clinical data of GBS in China by retrieving literature, extracting and synthesizing the data of GBS in China from 2010 to 2021. Besides, we compared the characteristics of epidemiology, preceding events and clinical profiles of GBS between China and other countries and regions. Furthermore, in addition to conventional intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange (PE) therapy, the potential therapeutic effects with novel medications in GBS, such as complement inhibitors, etc., have become the research focus in treatments. We found that epidemiological and clinical findings of GBS in China are approximately consistent with those in the International GBS Outcome Study (IGOS) cohort. We provided an overall picture of the present clinical status of GBS in China and summarized the global research progress of GBS, aiming to further understand the characteristics of GBS and improve the future work of GBS worldwide, especially in countries with the middle and low incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Night-time light data (NTL) have been extensively utilized to map urban fringe areas, but to date, there has not been a comprehensive evaluation of the existing spatial clustering methods for delineating the urban fringe using different types of night-time light data. Therefore, we first selected three popular sources of night-time light data (i.e., NPP/VIIRS, Luojia 1-01, and NASA's Black Marble) to identify the urban fringe. The recognition of spatial mutations across the urban–rural gradient was conducted based on changes in night light intensity using a spatial continuous wavelet transform model. Then, we employed three representative dual spatial clustering approaches (i.e., MK-Means, DBSC, and DSC) for extracting urban fringe areas using different NTL. By using dual spatial clustering, the spatial patterns of the mutation points were effectively transformed into homogeneous spatially adjacent clusters, enabling the measurement of similarity between mutation points. Taking Nanjing city, one of China's megacities, as the study area, we found that (1) Compared with the fragmented and concentrated results obtained from the Luojia 1-01, NASA's Black Marble and NPP/VIIRS data can effectively capture the abrupt change of urban fringes with NTL variations; (2) DSC provided a reliable approach for accurately extracting urban fringe areas using NASA's Black Marble data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. It mainly affects young adults, imposing a heavy burden on families and society. The epidemiology, clinical features, and management of MS are distinct among different countries. Although MS is a rare disease in China, there are 1.4 billion people in China, so the total number of MS patients is not small. Because of the lack of specific diagnostic biomarkers for MS, there is a high misdiagnosis rate in China, as in other regions. Due to different genetic backgrounds, the clinical manifestations of MS in Chinese are different from those in the West. Herein, this review aims to summarize the disease comprehensively, including clinical profile and the status of disease-modifying therapies in China based on published population-based observation and cohort studies, and also to compare with data from other countries and regions, thus providing help to develop diagnostic guideline and the novel therapeutic drugs. Meanwhile, we also discuss the problems and challenges we face, specifically for the diagnosis and treatment of MS in the middle- and low-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AQP4-IgG has been considered as the pathogenic factor leading to NMOSD. However, about 20–30% of patients lack AQP4-IgG. So far, all therapeutic medicines are ineffective for NMOSD patients without AQP4 IgG. Thus AQP4-IgG is the pathogenic factor of NMOSD has been suspected and challenged. In addition, lack of efficacy of immunotherapy in NMOSD without AQP4 IgG has been a serious problem in the neurology. Identifying the clinical and laboratory characteristics and diversities between NMOSD patients with and without AQP4-IgG can be helpful to further explore the pathogenesis of NMOSD and guide clinical treatment. This is a single-centre retrospective study in The First Hospital of Jilin University, China including 92 patients diagnosed as NMOSD from January 2013 to January 2015. The characteristics of clinic, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and image between AQP4-IgG negative (AQP4-IgG−) and AQP4-IgG positive (AQP4-IgG+) NMOSDs were compared. Our results showed that in the AQP4-IgG+ group, the ratio of women to men was 5.55, while in AQP4-IgG− group was 1.54 (P = 0.0092). In the AQP4-IgG+ patients, the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) was from 0 to 8.5, with an average of 5.550 ± 0.25, and the AQP4-IgG− patients had the EDSS score from 0 to 9, with an average of 4.032 ± 0.36 (P = 0.0006), which mainly affected movement system (P < 0.05) and superficial sensory impairment (P < 0.05). In the AQP4-IgG+ group, the blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability (P = 0.0210) and myelin basic protein (MBP) were increased (P = 0.0310) when compared to AQP4-IgG− group. Higher level IL-17 was seen in AQP4-IgG+ group than AQP4-IgG− group (P= 0.0066). Our results demonstrated that the NMOSD with AQP4-IgG more likely occurred in women and presented more severe clinical symptoms as well as significant BBB damage and increased MBP and IL-17 in CSF and blood, respectively compared with NMOSD without AQP4-IgG group. The differences in clinical and laboratory profiles between NMOSD with and without AQP4-IgG indicate the heterogeneity of NMOSD, in which AQP4-IgG may not be the only pathogenic molecule. It is necessary to find more pathogenic factors and to explore the new pathogenesis of NMOSD and therapeutic methods in the future. In this manuscript, we identified the clinical and laboratory characteristics and diversities between NMOSD patients with and without AQP4-IgG. Our results demonstrated that the NMOSD with AQP4-IgG more likely occurred in women and presented more severe clinical symptoms as well as significant BBB damage and increased MBP and IL-17 in CSF and blood, respectively compared with NMOSD without AQP4-IgG group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral health is crucial for health-related quality of life. However, the research on the factors affecting oral health status is not comprehensive enough. This investigation aimed to evaluate the multifaceted determinants of college students' oral health status and explore the impact of social support, oral health literacy, attitudes, behaviors, and self-efficacy on OHRQoL. By surveying 822 students from a university. Baseline data included sociodemographics (gender, age), social support (MSPSS scale), oral health self-efficacy (SESS scale), oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP questionnaire), and OHRQoL (OHIP-14 scale). Based on social cognitive theory, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were used to examine the relationship between the study variables. PLS-SEM results showed that knowledge, attitude, and practice predicted OHRQoL through self-efficacy. FsQCA results showed that the combination of different variables was sufficient to explain OHRQoL. The conclusion was that self-efficacy plays an important role and the combination of high-level knowledge, positive attitudes, and strong self-efficacy was important in improving OHRQoL. The results of this study provided a reference for the oral health strategy planning of college students in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downstream water supply disruption accidents commonly occur in the large-scale cascade open-channel dispatching system, endangering dispatch safety. The emergency reaction requires active drainage water volume and cost control. This research introduces a simulation optimization emergency response optimization control model using enhanced one-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation and multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), verifying the Gangtou Gate–Beijuma Gate section (GB section) of the Middle Route Project of South-to-North Water Diversion in China. In the downstream large-flow water supply interruption scenario, we explore regulation possibilities for optimization elements, including drainage water volume, regulation frequency, and regulation interval. The optimization of the drainage water volume significantly raises the regulation frequency of the sluice when the regulation interval is fixed. The drainage water volume can be balanced and optimized, and the frequency of sluice control can be decreased, by increasing the regulation interval. The emergency response optimization control model may minimize the regulation frequency by 80% and the drainage water volume by 32.6% compared with the benchmark scheduling approach in emergencies. The model provides superior economic and applicable effects for emergency reactions to the downstream water supply disruption, with similar advantages feasible for other cascade open-channel scheduling systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental and resident health issues associated with air pollution are an area of growing concern for both policy officials and the general public. In recent years, China has been accelerating the construction of a Beautiful China and a Healthy China, with the aim of protecting and improving the environment and ensuring public health. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of air quality and air pollution perception on residents' health. This study used the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey data to measure self-rated health, mental health, and air pollution perception. Using matched socioeconomic indicators and air pollution data, we analyzed the relationship between subjective perception of air pollution, objective air pollution data, and residents' health. The results showed the following: (1) Air pollution perception has a significant negative impact on self-rated health and mental health. Thus, it needs more consideration to reduce environmental health risks. (2) Objective air pollution has a significant negative impact on mental health. At the same time, its effect on self-rated health was insignificant. These results provide empirical evidence supporting the Chinese government's decision to invest more in combating air pollution and ensuring the health of Chinese residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the development of more cropping systems in response to global warming and food security concerns. A two-year field experiment (2017–2018) was conducted to investigate the effects of greenhouse gases (GHGs), soil environmental factors and yield on traditional double-cropping rice (DR), maize rice (MR) and ratooning rice (Rr). The results showed a significant annual effect of temperature and rainfall on GHG emissions under different cropping systems. Annual CH4 emissions under MR and Rr were significantly lower than under DR. Compared to DR, the highest cumulative N2O emissions were observed in MR (14.9 kg·ha−1) with a reduction of 23.7% in Rr. In addition, the upland crops significantly reduced CH4 emissions for late rice, while N2O emissions increased by 20.6%. Compared with DR and Rr, global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) were significantly lower for MR (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the annual yield of MR (16.40 t·ha−1) was 8.1% and 2.4% higher than that of DR and Rr, respectively. This study further found that soil temperature and NH4+-N content were positively correlated with CH4 and N2O emissions, and soil moisture was positively correlated with N2O emission. Thus, we concluded that MR has the greatest potential to improve crop yield and mitigate GHG emissions in central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, blue sky defense is a crucial part of ecological environment governance. Objective environmental governance performance needs to be perceived by the public to more truly affect the public's evaluation of the government's environmental governance. This paper focuses on the public's subjective perception of air pollution and evaluation of the local government's environmental governance. Based on the Chinese General Social Survey data, the matched economic indicators, and air pollution data, we conduct a diachronic study on the public's evaluation of local governments' environmental protection work, and we analyze the relationship between the subjective perception of air pollution, the objective air pollution data, and the evaluation of local governments' environmental protection work. The results showed the following: (1) People's evaluation of local governments' environmental protection work significantly improved from 2013 to 2021. The objective indicator improved, while the subjective perception declined. (2) The subjective perception of air pollution has a significant negative impact on the evaluation of local governments' environmental protection work and needs to be better considered to improve air quality. At the same time, the effect of the objective indicator is insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Along with the fast development and urbanization in developing countries, the waterbodies aside the growing cities become heavily polluted and highly eutrophic, thus leading to the seasonal outbreak of cyanobacterial bloom. Systematic isolation and characterization of freshwater cyanophages might provide a biological solution to control the awful blooms. However, genomic sequences and related investigations on the freshwater cyanophages remain very limited to date. Results: Following our recently reported five cyanophages Pam1~Pam5 from Lake Chaohu in China, here we isolated another five cyanophages, termed Pan1~Pan5, which infect the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. Chao 1811. Whole-genome sequencing showed that they all contain a double-stranded DNA genome of 37.2 to 72.0 kb in length, with less than half of the putative open reading frames annotated with known functions. Remarkably, the siphophage Pan1 encodes an auxiliary metabolic gene phoH and constitutes, together with the host, a complete queuosine modification pathway. Proteomic analyses revealed that although Pan1~Pan5 are distinct from each other in evolution, Pan1 and Pan3 are somewhat similar to our previously identified cyanophages Pam3 and Pam1 at the genomic level, respectively. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses suggested that Pan1 resembles the α-proteobacterial phage vB_DshS-R5C, revealing direct evidence for phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer between cyanobacteria and α-proteobacteria. Conclusion: In addition to the previous reports of Pam1~Pam5, the present findings on Pan1~Pan5 largely enrich the library of reference freshwater cyanophages. The abundant genomic information provides a pool to identify novel genes and proteins of unknown function. Moreover, we found for the first time the evolutionary traces in the cyanophage that horizontal gene transfer might occur at the level of not only inter-species, but even inter-phylum. It indicates that the bacteriophage or cyanophage could be developed as a powerful tool for gene manipulation among various species or phyla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease is a cross-species infectious disease that severely affects small ruminants and causes great losses to livestock industries in various countries. Distinguishing vaccine-immunized animals from naturally infected animals is an important prerequisite for the eradication of PPR. At present PPRV are classified into lineages I through IV, and only one vaccination strain, Nigeria/75/1, belongs to lineage II, but all of the epidemic strains in China at present are from lineage IV. Results: To achieve this goal, we developed an SYBR Green I real-time qRT-PCR method for rapid detection and identification of PPRV lineages II and IV by analyzing different melting curve analyses. The negative amplification of other commonly circulating viruses such as orf virus, goat poxvirus, and foot-and-mouth disease virus demonstrated that primers targeting the L gene of PPRV were extremely specific. The sensitivity of the assay was assessed based on plasmid DNA and the detection limit achieved was 100 copies of PPRV lineages II and IV. Conclusion: Since the method has high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility, it will be effectively differentiated PPRV lineages II from PPRV lineages IV in PPRV infected animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the implementation of physical education theory (PET) curriculums among global colleges and universities. This study aimed to describe the design and students' evaluation of a blended "Sports Multimedia Courseware Design" course among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using information communication technologies, a 4-month blended course was developed, which consisted of 36 credits (18-credit online self-learning + 18-credit offline group-learning). A total of 1300 Chinese university students who majored in physical education, completed the blended course from Mar to Jun 2020, among which 238 (69.75% males; 21 ± 1.2 years) were randomly recruited to evaluate the course in terms of three aspects: (1) online self-learning, (2) offline group-learning, and (3) overall learning outcomes. A descriptive analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS 27.0. Students' overall positive evaluation supported a successful development and implementation of the blended course. Over 90% of students fulfilled the learning tasks and satisfied with the online learning resources. About 83% of students indicated high levels of autonomous motivation and engagement in online self-learning. Approximately 88% of students showed positive attitudes to the offline group-learning content, while the participation rate (60%) was relatively lower than of the online self-learning. Over 50% of the students indicated self-improvements in diverse aspects after attending the blended course. Blended online and offline pedagogy shows apparent promise in delivering the PET course among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further application and comprehensive evaluation are warranted in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shewanella genus, as an important carrier of resistance genes, has the potential to transmit resistance to many antimicrobials in many circumstances, especially in aquatic environment. The aim of the study was to describe the risk of Shewanella xiamenensis in hospital environment through analysis of genomic comparison and resistance status. Methods: Seven S. xiamenensis strains were isolated from hospital wastewater. PCR and Sanger sequencing were carried out for detection of common carbapenemase genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed to determine the antimicrobial profile. Whole genome sequencing was applied, and sequences were further used for genomic analysis. Results: Seven Shewanella xiamenensis were all positive for blaNDM and blaOXA-48. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed all Shewanella xiamenensis were resistant to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, imipenem, meropenem, gentamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the diversity of Shewanella xiamenensis despite isolating from one wastewater pool. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of detection of three types blaOXA-48-like genes in one hospital in China. And we have detected multi-drug resistant S. xiamenensis from hospital wastewater. This emphasizes that the presence of naturally existing carbapenemases in the environment may be significantly overlooked and that the blaOXA-48-like genes in China may originate through the horizontal gene transfer from S. xiamenensis to Enterobacterales rather than import from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pore structure and microfracture evolution characteristics of coal in high gas mine are worthy of studying to make clear the mechanism of coal and gas outburst. Samples were collected from 2# coal seam (high gas coal seam) in Dongpang Coal Mine, China. Two groups of samples were divided: one was cut from the intact coal blocks which was roughly a cube with the particle size less than 1 cm, and the other was the pulverized coal drilled from the working face. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and gas absorption were used to investigate the pore size distributions (PSDs) of coal samples. The experimental results display that the compressibility of coal matrix has a significant influence on the pore volume of coal specimens especially when the pressure is greater than 20 MPa. Macropores in both intact and pulverized coal samples account for the largest proportion but the average micropore volume for the pulverized coal is 2.67 times that of the intact coal. The greater pore tortuosity of pulverized coal indicates that it has worse pore connectivity overall. Multi-fractal analysis result shows the PSDs of pulverized coal are more homogeneous than intact coal. During the process of mining, the vertical loading and horizontal unloading cause the opening and propagation of microfractures and increase the difference of the PSDs between the intact and pulverized coal. It results in the not smooth of gas flow from pulverized coal area. Gas might be prone to accumulate in the area with more pulverized coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outbreaks of short beak dwarf syndrome caused by novel goose parvovirus (NGPV) have been prevalent in China since 2015, resulting in a high mortality rate of ducks. Herein we evaluated differences between two NGPV strains: Muscovy duck‐origin (AH190917‐RP: MD17) and Cherry Valley duck‐origin (JS191021‐RP: CVD21) NGPV. Both of them showed certain level of pathogenicity to primary duck embryo fibroblasts, Cherry Valley duck embryos and ducklings. CVD21 showed comparatively stronger pathogenicity than MD17. Only CVD21 caused obvious cytopathic effect (CPE), characterized by cell shedding; further, the virus titer of MD17 and CVD21 was 102.571 ELD50 (i.e. median embryo lethal dose)/0.2 ml and 106.156ELD50/0.2 ml, respectively, and the mortality rate of CVD21‐ and MD17‐infected Cherry Valley ducklings was 100% and 80%, respectively. In addition, CVD21 had a greater influence on the growth and development of ducklings. Furthermore, we found that MD17 could infect Muscovy duck embryos and produce lesions similar to Cherry Valley duck embryos, but it could not infect Muscovy duck embryo fibroblasts (MDEFs,) and Muscovy ducklings. MDV21 had no infection to MDEFs, Muscovy duck embryo and Muscovy ducklings. We then sequenced the complete genome of the two isolates to enable genomic characterization. The complete genome of MD17 and CVD21 was 5046 and 5050 nucleotides in length, respectively. Nucleotide alignment, amino acid analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that MD17 showed higher homology to goose parvovirus (GPV), while CVD21 demonstrated stronger similarity with NGPV. Moreover, the two isolates shared 95.8% homology, with encoded proteins showing multiple amino acid variations. Our findings indicate that Muscovy ducks seem to have played a crucial role in the evolution of GPV to NGPV. We believe that our data should serve as a foundation for further studying the genetic evolution of waterfowl parvoviruses and their pathogenic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a prevalent, progressive respiratory disease, has become the third leading cause of death globally. Increasing evidence suggests that intestinal and pulmonary microbiota dysbiosis is associated with COPD. Researchers have shown that T helper (Th) 17/regulatory T (Treg) imbalance is involved in COPD. Qibai Pingfei Capsule (QBPF) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat COPD clinically in China. However, the effects of QBPF intervention on the Th17/Treg balance and microbiota in the gut and lung are still poorly understood.Methods: This study divided the rats into three groups (n = 8): control, model, and QBPF group. After establishing the model of COPD for four weeks and administering of QBPF for two weeks, Th17 cells, Treg cells, their associated cytokines, transcription factors, and intestinal and pulmonary microbiota of rats were analyzed. Furthermore, the correlations between intestinal and pulmonary microbiota and between bacterial genera and pulmonary function and immune function were measured.Results: The results revealed that QBPF could improve pulmonary function and contribute to the new balance of Th17/Treg in COPD rats. Meanwhile, QBPF treatment could regulate the composition of intestinal and pulmonary microbiota and improve community structure in COPD rats, suppressing the relative abundance of Coprococcus_2, Prevotella_9, and Blautia in the gut and Mycoplasma in the lung, but accumulating the relative abundance of Prevotellaceae_UCG_003 in the gut and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group in the lung. Additionally, gut-lung axis was confirmed by the significant correlations between the intestinal and pulmonary microbiota. Functional analysis of microbiota showed amino acid metabolism was altered in COPD rats in the gut and lung. Spearman correlation analysis further enriched the relationship between the microbiota in the gut and lung and pulmonary function and immune function in COPD model rats.Conclusions: Our study indicated that the therapeutic effects of QBPF may be achieved by maintaining the immune cell balance and regulating the gut-lung axis microbiota, providing references to explore the potential biomarkers of COPD and the possible mechanism of QBPF to treat COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potential complication among lymphoma patients. We evaluated the incidence rate and predictors of VTE in lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The present study retrospectively studied 1,069 patients with lymphoma who were treated with chemotherapy from 2018 to 2020. We investigated clinical predictors of VTE among all patients. The follow-up results were obtained via telephone communication and from inpatient and outpatient records. Results: A total of 1,069 patients underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma. During a mean follow-up of 23.1 months, 52 (4.9%) patients developed VTE. According to a multivariate analysis, the five variables found to be independently associated with VTE were male sex (HR 2.273, 95% CI 1.197–4.316, p = 0.012), age >64-years-old (HR 2.256, 95% CI 1.017–5.005, p = 0.045), the number of cycles of chemotherapy (HR 4.579, 95% CI 1.173–17.883, p = 0.029), platelet count ≥350 × 109/L (HR 2.533, 95% CI 1.187–5.406, p = 0.016), and D-dimer >0.5 mg/L (HR 4.367, 95% CI 2.124–8.981, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This population-based study confirms the risk factors for VTE among patients with lymphoma who underwent chemotherapy and confirms that targeted thromboprophylaxis may reduce the burden of VTE in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anthocyanins have distinct biological functions in plant coloring, plant defense against strong light, UV irradiation, and pathogen infection. Aromatic hydroxyl groups and ortho-dihydroxyl groups in anthocyanins are able to inhibit free-radical chain reactions and hydroxyl radicals. Thus, anthocyanins play an antioxidative role by removing various types of ROS. Pepper is one of the solanaceous vegetables with the largest cultivation area in China. The purple-fruited pepper is rich in anthocyanins, which not only increases the ornamental nature of the pepper fruit but also benefits the human body. In this experiment, light-induced regulatory pathways and related specific regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis were examined through integrative transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. Results: Results revealed that delphinium 3-O-glucoside significantly accumulated in light exposed surface of pepper fruit after 48 h as compared to shaded surface. Furthermore, through strand-specific sequencing technology, 1341 differentially expressed genes, 172 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 8 differentially expressed circRNAs, and 28 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified significantly different among both surfaces. The flavonoid synthesis pathway was significantly enriched by KEGG analysis including SHT (XM_016684802.1), AT-like (XM_016704776.1), CCoAOMT (XM_016698340.1, XM_016698341.1), CHI (XM_016697794.1, XM_016697793.1), CHS2 (XM_016718139.1), CHS1B (XM_016710598.1), CYP98A2-like (XM_016688489.1), DFR (XM_016705224.1), F3'5'H (XM_016693437.1), F3H (XM_016705025.1), F3'M (XM_016707872.1), LDOX (XM_016712446.1), TCM (XM_016722116.1) and TCM-like (XM_016722117.1). Most of these significantly enriched flavonoid synthesis pathway genes may be also regulated by lncRNA. Some differentially expressed genes encoding transcription factors were also identified including MYB4-like (XM_016725242.1), MYB113-like (XM_016689220.1), MYB308-like (XM_016696983.1, XM_016702244.1), and EGL1 (XM_016711673.1). Three 'lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA' regulatory networks with sly-miR5303, stu-miR5303g, stu-miR7997a, and stu-miR7997c were constructed, including 28 differentially expressed mRNAs and 6 differentially expressed lncRNAs. Conclusion: Possible light regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport genes were identified by transcriptome analysis, and confirmed by qRT-PCR. These results provide important data for further understanding of the anthocyanin metabolism in response to light in pepper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil phosphorus (P) availability often limits plant productivity. Classical theories suggest that total P content declines at the temporal scale of pedogenesis, and ecosystems develop toward the efficient use of scarce P during succession. However, the trajectory of ecosystem P within shorter time scales of succession remains unclear. We analyzed changes to P pools at the early (I), middle (II), and late (III) stages of growth of plantation forests (PFs) and the successional stages of natural forests (NFs) at 1969 sites in China. We found significantly lower P contents at later growth stages compared to earlier ones in the PF (p <.05), but higher contents at late successional stages than in earlier stages in the NF (p <.05). Our results indicate that increasing P demand of natural vegetation during succession, may raise, retain, and accumulate P from deeper soil layers. In contrast, ecosystem P in PF was depleted by the more rapidly increasing demand outpacing the development of a P‐efficient system. We advocate for more studies to illuminate the mechanisms for determining the divergent changes, which would improve forest management and avoid the vast degradation of PF ecosystems suffering from the ongoing depletion of P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding soil water dynamics and their influencing factors is an important basis for formulating efficient water-use strategies aimed at alleviating water stress, especially in areas with water shortages. In this research, six plots with different densities were designed to systematically analyze the influences of Phragmites australis density and groundwater level on soil water in a semiarid wetland. (1) The Phragmites australis density had a negative influence on the soil water in the 0-40 cm profile and from April to August. (2) The Phragmites australis density had a positive effect on the annual variation degree of the soil water storage. The water replenishment could be implemented in April and June for low and high Phragmites australis densities, respectively. (3) The groundwater level had a significant influence on the soil water content of the 0-50 cm layer, and the change was positively correlated with the Phragmites australis density. The influence of groundwater level on soil water was more influential than that of Phragmites australis density. (4) The suitable average groundwater depth for the 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% densities were 76 cm, 63 cm, 50 cm, 37 cm, 23 cm and 10 cm, respectively. The suitable average densities of Phragmites australis for the groundwater depth of 35 cm, 40 cm, 45 cm and 50 cm were 62%, 55%, 47% and 40%, respectively. This research can provide a theoretical support for the management of Phragmites australis density and groundwater level in the Baiyangdian wetland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, a shift in early math teaching from a teacher-directed approach to a child-centered approach has been recommended. This study explored Chinese teachers' beliefs about early math teaching and learning, math teaching efficacy, and math-related practices in the context of unit block play. Early childhood teachers (N = 391) from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, participated in this study. The results of a questionnaire-based survey indicated that teachers' beliefs about math teaching and learning and math teaching efficacy were significant predictors of their math teaching practices during unit block play. Math teaching efficacy mediated the positive relationship between constructivist beliefs and child-centered practices, but not between traditional beliefs and teacher-directed practices. The results have implications for early childhood teacher education in China and future studies on early math teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the relationships between motor fusion and sex, age and spherical equivalent (SE).Methods: This observational study enrolled 243 healthy, nonstrabismic adults, including 94 men and 149 women aged 20 to 59 years. The subjects were divided into three groups according to SE: myopic, emmetropic and hyperopic groups. The subjects were also divided into four groups according to age: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years groups. Motor fusion was measured with a synoptophore, including subjective angle (SA), divergence, convergence and fusional vergence range (FVR).Results: The mean values of divergence, convergence and FVR for the whole sample group were 9.72 ± 0.26°, 19.34 ± 0.54°, and 29.06 ± 0.62°, respectively. A higher value of divergence was found in the myopic group than in the emmetropic group (p < 0.05). SE and divergence were significantly different among age groups (all p < 0.05). In addition, linear regression analysis showed that SE was correlated with divergence (p = 0.003). Age was correlated with SE, divergence and FVR (p < 0.001, p = 0.005, p = 0.002, respectively). In addition, the proportion of SA being in the comfort zone (defined as the value of SA satisfying Percival's criterion) in the age groups was significantly different (χ2 = 8.283, p = 0.041).Conclusions: Motor fusion is associated with age and SE in the normal Chinese adult population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 has undergone several mutations, and caused deleterious effects on physical and mental health of people worldwide. Whilst physical exercise is known for its positive effect on enhancing immunity and reducing the negative consequences of unhealthy emotional states caused by the pandemic; there is a severe lack of psychological exercise intervention measures and mitigation strategies to advance the knowledge and role of physical exercise to improve mental health in most countries. This study surveyed the association between physical exercise and mental health burden during the COVID-19 outbreak in China to better understand the influence of different physical exercise types on reducing mental health burden during the pandemic. ANOVA, binary logistic regression, the chi-square test, and Spearman's correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. 14,715 participants were included. The results showed that Chinese residents had several poor mental health conditions during the COVID-19 outbreak. And there was a significant positive correlation between the extent of adverse effects on mental health and provincial proportions of confirmed COVID-19 cases (r = 0.365, p < 0.05). Some main factors caused an unhealthy psychological status, including epidemic severity (62.77%, 95% CI 58.62-65.64%), prolonged home quarantine (60.84%, 95% CI 58.15-63.25%), spread of large amounts of negative information about COVID-19 in the media (50.78%, 95% CI 47.46-53.15%), limitations in daily life and social interaction (45.93%, 95%CI 42.46-47.55%), concerns about students' learning (43.13%, 95% CI 40.26-45.48%), and worries about being infected (41.13%, 95% CI 39.16-45.23%). There was a significant association between physical exercise and mental health. The largest associations were seen for home-based group entertainment exercise (i.e., family games, rope skipping, and badminton), Chinese traditional sports (i.e., Chinese martial arts, Taijiquan and Qigong), and popular sports (i.e., yoga, video dancing, sensory-motor games, and whole-body vibration), as well as durations of 30-60 min per session, frequencies of three to five times per week and a total of 120-270 min of moderate-intensity exercise weekly during the COVID-19 outbreak (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is an important element in terrestrial ecosystems and plays a critical role in soil quality and ecosystem productivity. Soil total P distributions have undergone large spatial changes as a result of centuries of climate change. It is necessary to study the characteristics of the horizontal and vertical distributions of soil total P and its influencing factors. In particular, the influence of climatic factors on the spatial distribution of soil total P in China's forest ecosystems remain relatively unknown. Here, we conducted an intensive field investigation in different forest ecosystems in China to assess the effect of climatic factors on soil total P concentration and distribution. The results showed that soil total P concentration significantly decreased with increasing soil depth. The spatial distribution of soil total P increased with increasing latitude and elevation gradient but decreased with increasing longitude gradient. Random forest models and linear regression analyses showed that the explanation rate of bioclimatic factors and their relationship with soil total P concentration gradually decreased with increasing soil depths. Variance partitioning analysis demonstrated that the most important factor affecting soil total P distribution was the combined effect of temperature and precipitation factor, and the single effect of temperature factors had a higher explanation rate compare with the single effect of precipitation factors. This work provides a new farmework for the geographic distribution pattern of soil total P and the impact of climate variability on P distribution in forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, For millions of years, anthropoid primates were presumably affected by itch (pruritus),[1] which is currently defined as an unpleasant sensation provoking the desire to scratch.[2] Backscratchers are popular tools used to scratch itchy skin on the back not accessible by the affected individual's own hands (typically the interscapular area). Here, we present evidence illustrating the development of these -utensils from rudimentary tools to artistic, ceremonial so-called "Ruyi" sceptres, symbolizing authority and power in ancient China. Scratching the itch: how crude backscratchers turned into decorative "Ruyi" sceptres symbolizing authority and power in ancient China. [Extracted from the article]

Hydrological connectivity is a critical determinant of wetland functions and health, especially in wetlands that have been heavily fragmented and regulated by human activities. However, investigating hydrological connectivity in these wetlands is challenging due to the costs of high‐resolution and large‐scale monitoring required in order to identify hydrological barriers within the wetlands. To overcome this challenge, we here propose an interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)‐based methodology to map hydrologic connectivity and identify hydrological barriers in fragmented wetlands. This methodology was applied along 70 transects across the Baiyangdian, the largest freshwater wetland in northern China, using Sentinel 1A and 1B data, covering the period 2016–2019. We generated 58 interferograms providing information on relative water level changes across the transects that showed the high coherence needed for the assessment of hydrological connectivity. We mapped the permanent and conditional (temporary) barriers affecting connectivity. In total, 11% of all transects are permanently disconnected by hydrological barriers across all interferograms and 58% of the transects are conditionally disconnected. Areas covered by reed grasslands show the most undisturbed hydrological connectivity while some of these barriers are the result of ditches and channels within the wetland and low water levels during different periods of the year. This study highlights the potential of the application of Wetland InSAR to determine hydrological connectivity and location of hydrological barriers in highly fragmented wetlands, and facilitates the study of hydrological processes from large spatial scales and long‐time scales using remote sensing technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: Choline-metabolizing genetic variation may interact with choline intake on fetal programming and pregnancy outcome. This case-control study aims to explore the association of maternal choline consumption and phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) gene polymorphism rs7946 with preterm birth risk. Methods: 145 Han Chinese women with preterm delivery and 157 Han Chinese women with term delivery were recruited in Shanghai. Dietary choline intake during pregnancy was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Additionally, DNA samples were genotyped for PEMT rs7946 (G5465A) with plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels measured. Results: Compared with the lowest quartile of choline intake, women within the highest consumption quartile had adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for preterm birth of 0.48 (95% confidence interval, CI [0.24, 0.95]). There was a significant interaction between maternal choline intake and PEMT rs7946 (p for interaction = 0.04), where the AA genotype carriers who consumed the energy-adjusted choline <255.01 mg/day had aOR for preterm birth of 3.75 (95% CI [1.24, 11.35]), compared to those with GG genotype and choline intake >255.01 mg/day during pregnancy. Additionally, the greatest elevated plasma Hcy was found in the cases with AA genotype and choline consumption <255.01 mg/day (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The AA genotype of PEMT rs7946 may be associated with increased preterm birth in these Han Chinese women with low choline intake during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent neoplasms worldwide, particularly in China. Immune-related genes (IRGs) and immune infiltrating lymphocytes play specific roles in tumor growth. Considering how important immunotherapy has become for HCC treatment in the past decade, our objective was to establish a prognostic model by screening survival-related IRGs in patients with HCC. Using edgeR , we identified differentially expressed IRGs (DEIRGs), DEmiRNAs, and DElncRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis of DEIRGs was performed to investigate the biological functions of IRGs via gene ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Protein-protein interaction and competing endogenous RNA networks were established using Cytoscape. Survival-associated IRGs were selected via univariate COX regression analysis, a The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) prognostic model and GSE76427 validation model were developed using multivariate COX regression analysis test by AIC (Akaike Information Criterion). We identified 116 DEIRGs in patients with HCC; the "cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction" pathway was found to be the most enriched pathway. Via the prognostic model helped us classify patients into high- and low-risk score groups based on overall survival (OS); high risk score was associated with worse OS, and a positive correlation was observed between the prognostic model and immune cell infiltration. To summarize, we established a prognostic model using survival-related IRGs that provides sufficient information for prognosis prediction and immunotherapy of patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: China is the world's largest coal producer and consumer. Despite extensive studies on coal-burning pollution, the effect of raw coal pollutants caused by transportation and turnover on soil along the road received little attention. The main purpose of the study was to clarify the biogeochemical response of soil ecosystems to raw coal pollution. Materials and methods: The raw coal and unpolluted soil from the coal distribution area in Xuanhua, China were collected for the incubation experiments. Combined with the determination of soil physicochemical properties, including pH, electric conductivity, soluble ions, dissolved organic carbon, and available heavy metals, the biogeochemical responses of soil to raw coal pollution, such as soil enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, and Urease), microbial community composition, and soil respiration, were systematically studied. In addition, a q-PCR analysis of the urease was performed to clarify the inhibitory mechanism of urease by coal pollution. Furthermore, a simple field investigation was carried out to confirm the incubation results. Results and discussion: Raw coal pollution not only changed the soil physicochemical properties but also made the available Zn, Ni, and Co accumulate significantly. A positive priming effect in soil with the low-dose raw coal addition was trigged, but soil respiration rate and soil enzyme activity, such as β-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase, were inhibited to different degrees with the increased pollution. Urease activity also decreased under the higher coal contamination, which was due to inhibition of ureC gene expression. In addition to the slight soil acidification caused by coal pollution, microbial communities and diversity was also found to be affected. The relative abundances of the microorganisms related to urease, alkaline phosphatase, and β-glucosidase changed accordingly. The incubation results are in good agreement with the field survey results. Conclusions: Low-dose raw coal pollution can trigger the soil positive priming effect. However, as the coal pollution increased, the β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, and urease in the soil were inhibited to varying degrees. The compounding effects of soil acidification, increased electric conductivity, and the accumulation of available heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, and Co are the key causes for the biogeochemical response of soil to coal pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Cognitive impairment is a common and important complication after stroke, with prevalence ranging widely from 10% to 82%. 1 The presence of poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) has been associated with poor functional outcome, 2 reduced quality of life, 3 higher risk of recurrent stroke 4 and aggravated economic burden. 5 However, multiple factors have been found to lead to the progression of PSCI, including older age, family history, sex difference and poor educational status, 6 which are not readily amenable to prevention and treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to find novel risk factors that may improve the prediction and early diagnosis of PSCI. Vitamin D is a unique neurosteroid hormone necessary for maintaining musculoskeletal health; its deficiency is associated with many conditions including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and dementia. 7 – 9 Accumulating evidence suggests that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the enzyme required for vitamin D activation have been found in areas of the brain essential for cognition. 10 More recently, several experimental studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency could mediate neurodegenerative processes involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD). 11 , 12 Furthermore, previous studies found that low vitamin D levels were associated with increased odds of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly and in people with dementia. 13 – 17 It is also reported that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients after stroke and is associated with poor functional outcome. 18 – 21 A cross-sectional study conducted in the rehabilitation period of stroke found a positive association between vitamin D levels and cognitive function. 22 However, to date, as we know, this is the first prospective study to explore the relationship between vitamin D levels in the acute period of stroke and the development of cognitive impairment at 1 month. In this study, we measured the serum levels of vitamin D within 24 hours after admission in patients with acute ischemic stroke and investigated the relationship of vitamin D levels with the incidence of cognitive impairment at 1 month. Materials and methods Subjects The study obtained the approval of the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants or their relatives provided written informed consents. Patients who had suffered a stroke and were admitted to the Stroke Unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University within 7 days were included in this study from October 2013 to February 2015. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) age between 18 and 80 years; 2) first-ever acute stroke occurring within 7 days after stroke onset; 3) diagnosed with computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the time of admission. The exclusion criteria were as follows: 1) primary hemorrhagic stroke or transient ischemic attack; 2) patients with any central nervous system disease such as pre-stroke dementia or severe cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease; 3) severe aphasia or dysarthria, visual or auditory impairment and acute or chronic inflammatory disease; 4) patients taking vitamin D and/or calcium supplementation before stroke onset. Clinical measurements Demographic data included age, gender and years of education. Behavioral risk factors included body mass index (BMI), current smoking and drinking alcohol. Clinical variables included history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease (CAD), hyperlipidemia, stroke etiology as well as the serum levels of vitamin D. Stroke severity was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) within 24 hours of admission. Functional outcomes were evaluated by the Barthel Index (BI) at discharge. CT or MRI was performed on patients within 72 hours after admission. The lesion locations of acute stroke were recorded. Psychological measurement Cognitive function was assessed by trained neurologists who were blinded to the subjects' clinical presentations and laboratories using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at 1 month poststroke. The MMSE has been translated into Chinese and validated for reliability and validity as a screening tool for cognitive impairment in the Chinese population. Lower scores indicate greater cognitive impairment, and cognitive impairment was defined by an MMSE score ≤19 points (illiterate), ≤22 points (education level of primary school), or ≤26 points (education level of secondary school or above). 23 Laboratory tests Blood samples were obtained within 24 hours of hospital admission. Vitamin D status was measured by blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the main active form of vitamin D and a good indicator of the whole level of vitamin D. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured through a competitive protein binding assay at our hospital's laboratory. In both cohorts, serum 25(OH) D concentrations were divided into clinically relevant categories, vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L), vitamin D insufficiency (≥25 to <50 nmol/L) and vitamin D sufficiency (≥50 nmol/L). 24 Statistical analyses Continuous variables were shown as mean (SD) or medians (quartiles) depending on the normal or non-normal distribution of data, while categorical variables were represented as percentages. Student's t-test was applied for normal distribution test, while the asymmetrically distributed variables were compared using the Mann–Whitney U-test, and chi-squared test was employed for proportions. In addition, Cox proportional hazards model was employed to analyze and determine the independent risk factors of PSCI, which allows adjustment for potential confounding factors. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS for Windows, version 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Baseline characteristics A total of 634 individuals were enrolled in the study and 410 patients were eligible for the study. Consequently, 354 patients completed the follow-up and were included in this study (Figure 1). Among 354 patients, the mean age was 62.51±10.12 years, and 37.3% were females; the median serum vitamin D concentration was 49.58 nmol/mL (IQR, 31.95–65.09 nmol/mL). Table 1 shows the basic characteristics of patients with and without PSCI. Among the study population, 114 (32.2%) patients were diagnosed with PSCI at 1-month follow-up. Compared with non-PSCI patients, PSCI patients were more likely to be older, female and have higher NIHSS scores, lower BI scores and lower education level. Meanwhile, less cigarette smokers and alcohol drinkers were found in subjects with PSCI. Figure 1 Study recruitment profile. Abbreviation: PSCI, poststroke cognitive impairment. Table 1 Clinical and demographic characteristics of the samples under study Abbreviations: BI, Barthel Index; BMI, body mass index; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; PSCI, poststroke cognitive impairment; SBP, systolic blood pressure. Association between serum level of vitamin D and cognitive impairment Median (IQR) values of vitamin D in non-PSCI patients and PSCI patients were 51.64 (36.39–66.32) and 41.47 (19.24–57.10), respectively. Compared to those without PSCI, lower vitamin D levels were found in subjects with PSCI (P<0.001). In addition, there were significant differences observed between the PSCI and non-PSCI patients according to different vitamin D status. Indeed, the incidence of vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L) was significantly higher in the PSCI group (P<0.001), whereas it was significantly lower in the PSCI group (P=0.015). Moreover, Figure 2 shows a significant intergroup difference in the incidence of PSCI (P<0.001). Patients with vitamin D deficiency were more likely to have cognitive impairment than those with vitamin D insufficiency and vitamin D sufficiency (58.3% vs 28.1%, 26.0%, P<0.001) (Figure 2). Figure 2 Percentage of patients in non-PSCI group and PSCI group according to different vitamin D status. Note: ***P<0.001. Abbreviations: PSCI, poststroke cognitive impairment; VitD, vitamin D. Table 2 shows the Cox proportional hazards model for the association between vitamin D status and cognitive impairment. For the whole data of stroke patients, vitamin D sufficiency was taken as a reference and the presence of PSCI taken as a dependent variable for vitamin D values; after adjusting for potential confounders, vitamin D deficiency (<25.0 nmol/L) was independently associated with the prevalence of PSCI (RR 2.124, 95% CI 1.307–3.449, P=0.002). Moreover, years of education was significantly associated with the development of PSCI in acute ischemic stroke patients (RR 0.940, 95% CI 0.884–0.999, P=0.047; Table 2). Table 2 Cox proportional hazards model of the clinical determinants of PSCI Notes: aModel 1: unadjusted. bModel 2: adjusted for age, gender, years of education, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, current smoking, and lesion location. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; PSCI, poststroke cognitive impairment; RR, risk ratio. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the prospective relationship between vitamin D levels and PSCI. In our study, the main finding was that vitamin D deficiency was associated with a higher incidence of cognitive impairment in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders listed in Table 2. In the present study, 32.2% of patients with acute ischemic stroke were diagnosed with PSCI at 1 month, which is consistent with previous findings. 25 – 27 Additionally, some studies demonstrated that education is an important factor that affects cognitive function. 28 , 29 Previous studies have discovered that education had the most potent effect on MMSE performance, which would influence individuals' capability of comprehension and execution, or might reflect the innate intelligence status that inhibited the subjects to complete higher levels of education. 30 Our study found that education has a protective effect to cognitive function, which was consistent with previous studies. 31 The addition of serum vitamin D to a conventional risk factor model could increase risk prediction for PSCI. In accordance with the present results, a growing number of studies have already reported lower vitamin D levels with cognitive impairment or dementia. 13 – 17 As far as we know, studies investigating the possible relationship between vitamin D levels and the development of cognitive impairment with acute ischemic stroke were rare. In a cross-sectional study conducted in Turkey, vitamin D levels were associated with cognitive impairment in stroke patients in rehabilitation period. 22 It was a study of small sample size and could not clarify the prospective relationship between vitamin D and PSCI. On that basis, we carried out the relevant study, and our research showed that vitamin D deficiency increased the risk of PSCI by 2.124-fold at 1-month follow-up, suggesting that the serum vitamin D might be a potential predictive marker for PSCI. The mechanisms by which serum vitamin D affects cognitive function after ischemic stroke remain unclear, and growing evidence suggests that vitamin D plays an important role in brain health and function. 17 Vitamin D exerts various effects on brain through VDR and the vitamin D activating enzyme 1a-hydroxylase, which are broadly present in both neurons and glial cells in many areas of human brain critical for cognition. 32 , 33 Vitamin D is involved in preventing neurodegeneration through several pathways including antioxidative mechanisms, modulation of immune response, regulation of calcium homeostasis, inhibition of pro-inflammatory agents and detoxification. 10 , 12 , 34 , 35 Calcitriol (1, 25-(OH) 2D3) is the active metabolite of vitamin D3 and attenuates the production of nitric oxide through inhibiting the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the spinal cord and brain. 36 High nitric oxide levels are deemed to participate in inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative disorders and neurotoxicity. 37 Besides, low vitamin D levels are known to affect macrophage and lymphocyte activity in atherosclerotic plaques and to facilitate chronic inflammation in the artery wall. 38 Atherosclerosis and inflammatory reaction of artery wall play a pivotal role in the occurrence of cognitive impairment. 27 It is known that vitamin D is inversely associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk itself and CV risk factors, which are known risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia, including arterial hypertension, endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. 39 In addition, vitamin D stimulates neurogenesis and upregulates the synthesis of several neurotrophin factors important for the survival, development and functioning of neurons. 40 , 41 Vitamin D is considered to be involved in neurophysiology at the level of gene transcription, in regulating multiple neurotransmitters, including acetylcholine and dopamine. 32 , 42 As a result, in the case of severe hypovitaminosis D, a reduction of nerve conduction velocity has been observed. 43 Therefore, the findings mentioned above indicate that vitamin D may play a critical role in the development of PSCI. However, our study has several limitations. First, patients with aphasia or a serious condition were excluded, as well as patients who failed to measure serum levels of vitamin D, which might lead to an underestimation of the actual incidence of PSCI. Second, serum vitamin D was measured only once (within first 24 hours after admission), and it is necessary to conduct a further longitudinal study assessing how vitamin D levels change over time after stroke to provide better prognostic information. Third, the variable years of education might impose some bias on the results. In future studies, we should control the years of studies interval and focus more on women when defining the inclusion criteria. Fourth, malnutrition, which could have an influence of vitamin D levels, is a risk factor for poor outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. 44 Our study did not collect information on nutritional status, which may influence the results. Lastly, the information of medications during hospitalization was not recorded. Conclusion In summary, in spite of these limitations, our study demonstrates an important relationship between serum levels of vitamin D within 24 hours after admission and the development of PSCI at 1 month after stroke. Further prospective studies and randomized clinical trials are critical in examining whether supplements of vitamin D offer a potential prevention or therapeutic target for PSCI. Availability of data and materials The data supporting this study are available from the corresponding author for reasonable request. Abbreviations PSCI, poststroke cognitive impairment; CVD, cardiovascular diseases; VDR, vitamin D receptor; AD, Alzheimer's disease; CT, computerized tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; BMI, body mass index; CAD, coronary artery disease; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; BI, Barthel Index; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination. Acknowledgments We thank the study participants and their relatives and the clinical staff at all participating hospitals for their support and contribution to this project. This study was supported by the Projects of National Science Foundation of China (No 81873799), the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (grant number: 2015BAI13B01) and Wenzhou Municipal Sci-Tech Bureau Program (Y20160002). These sources had no further role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the article. Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work. References 1. de Haan EH, Nys GM, van Zandvoort MJ. Cognitive function following stroke and vascular cognitive impairment. Curr Opin Neurol. 2006;19(6):559–564. 2. Jokinen H, Melkas S, Ylikoski R, et al. Post-stroke cognitive impairment is common even after successful clinical recovery. Eur J Neurol. 2015;22(9):1288–1294. 3. 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A municipal solid waste fee has become an important means for the implementation of the waste management rendered by the government all around the world. Based on the ecological environmental compensation theory, this article constructs an analytical framework of waste charging from the perspective of public policy evaluation, to carry on the comprehensive comparison and analysis to the operability, feasibility, validity, rationality, and universality of the two modes of waste charging: Ration charge and unit-pricing modes. The results indicate that in the cities with large amounts of waste production, long time of waste charging, and high disposal rate, pilot projects should be carried out; and the government needs to improve the construction of associated laws and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) becomes a major disease affecting the elderly with high prevalence. However, no disease-modifying therapies are currently available. AD has long been regarded as a disease of brain itself, but recent studies found that systemic disorders are associated with risk for AD. During the period of Twelfth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, our team tried to reveal the pathogenesis, targets, amyloid β-protein (Aβ) clearence pathway and drugs from both central and peripheral approaches, and have discovered: 1) the ratio of p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) in the brain of AD regulates the over-production and clearence of Aβ in sporadic AD. 2) Peripheral Aβ is able to enter brain, forms AD-type pathologies and induces neuronal deficits, revealing the peripheral mechanism of AD. 3) The effectiveness and safety of brain A β clearance by peripheral organs and tissues has been verified. Based on these findings, we proposed a systemic view of AD, to understand pathogenesis and develop novel diagnostic methods and therapies from a systemic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For species relying on seeds for population regeneration, knowledge on seed germination behaviors in relation to environmental factors is critical in designing species recovery strategy. Dendrobium sinense is an orchid endemic to Hainan Island of China and listed as Endangered by the IUCN Redlist. It reproduces primarily via seeds in its natural habitat. However, how germination is impacted by major environmental factors is poorly known. This study aimed to examine germination success of D. sinense seeds using two approaches, i.e. in situ and ex situ, using host tree barks as germination media. The latter was intended to generate symbiotic seedlings in a simple and economic approach which could be used for reintroduction efforts. In addition, three factors of in situ symbiotic seed germination success, including different sowing time, location (distance from an adult plant), and host tree were investigated. Our results showed that seeds sown ex situ and in situ in July had the highest rates of germination. Seed germination was significantly higher ex situ using bark as medium than in situ. Seeds sown directly on Rhododendron moulmainense, the most common host tree, with naturally occurring conspecific orchids had the highest rate of germination. In contrast, ex situ seeds sown on the bark of Cyclobalanopsis blakeii, a non-host species, had the highest rate of seed germination. In situ a positive correlation was found between the seed germination rate and the distance of the seeds from the adult D. sinense. Based on these results, it is likely seedling recruitments are determined by host tree species, the presence of and the distance from an adult conspecific orchid, which imply the importance of the mycorrhizal fungi, which were not reported here. This study provided important information on the optimal environmental conditions for population augmentation and reintroduction, which can be used as part of the species recovery strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movies made by Wang Jing, a Chinese emerging avant-garde director, are mainly small and medium sized in terms of theme as well as investment. His works focus on social reality, reflecting people's aspirations and concerns in their daily life through employing the realistic creation techniques. In terms of narrative strategy, he prefers to reduce the complicated story to its essence and strengthen the dramatic settings. In terms of characterization, his works feature not only the sketches of people in social groups but also the detailed descriptions of female individuals. In terms of artistic devices, he combines commercial elements with his personal style, trying to strike a balance between commercial pursuits and artistic achievements. Therefore, while Wang's movies have their cultural values, they are facing an enormous marketing bottleneck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stress state and mechanical responses of coal and rock system at the moment of roof fracture were analyzed to investigate the disaster mechanism of coalburst due to roof fracture by means of the dynamic methods. And the inertial force and moment were deduced. Based on the relationship of the inertial force, moment and roof rotational acceleration, the stress, deformation and displacement of coal-rock mass before and after fracture, including different inertial angular acceleration conditions were simulated. The numerical results indicate that when roof rotational acceleration and its release energy is low, coal wall by the side of working face moves to roadway and its shift increases with roof rotational acceleration increasing. Once the inertial angular acceleration reaches a critical value, the bifurcation instability point occurs. The coal-rock system keeps stable only when coal wall retracts. Meanwhile the top of coal wall sink sharply though the stress is almost invariant. Therefore roof can course the instability of coal-rock system, but not a sufficient condition for coalburst [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the eutrophication risk of a receiving reservoir is crucial for scientific water transfer schemes. However mega water transfer projects would greatly affect both water quantity and water quality processes, making the eutrophication evaluation more difficult. This study assessed the eutrophication risk of a receiving reservoir (i.e., Miyun Reservoir) after the implementation of the world's largest water transfer project, namely, the South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) in China. A new perspective of considering joint effects of water quantity indicator (i.e., water storage) and water quality indicator (i.e., Chlorophyll a concentration or Chla concentration for short) was proposed to assess the eutrophication risk. The GMM model was first introduced into the copula model to adaptively describe the marginal distribution of hydrological variables and to improve the accuracy of the marginal probability distribution for water storage. Besides, the Frank copula model was selected to establish the joint probability distribution function of water storage and Chla concentration from four candidate copula models. The eutrophication risk of the receiving reservoir was then assessed under ten water transfer scenarios concerning six amounts of water transfer in four certain periods. Results showed: 1) there was little eutrophication risk (<0.0005) in Miyun Reservoir under the selected water transfer scenarios; 2) the probability of higher Chla concentration in Miyun Reservoir would increase with larger water storage after the implementation of the SNWTP, and 3) the probability (0.00027) of water quality deterioration in the reservoir under uniform water transfer was about half (0.00045) of the centralized water transfer. These findings can contribute to the eutrophication risk assessment and adaptive management of the world's largest water transfer project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: At present, railway emergency plan management system has become the important support to maintain the normal operation of railway transport system in the foreign developed countries. But our country was far behind in emergency management system, and the emergency system is still not perfect. It''s already cannot satisfy the current railway transport development needs. This paper analyzes the present situation of China railway emergency plan, and puts forward China''s railway emergency plan standardization management strategic thinking in view of the existing problems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to observe meso-destruction process of coal in real-time, CT scan test on coal bearing uni-axial compression was implemented in State Key Laboratory of China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing). CT images were analyzed based on the fractal theory. Fractal dimension of CT images which include indications of crack expansion and rupture process of coal samples were calculated. Calculation result shows that the changing trend of CT images' fractal dimension with the stress matches the one of stress-strain curve obtained from the coal uni-axial compression test. It also indicates that the half-Gauss function could well describe the variation of fractal dimension with the change of coal loading under uni-axial compression CT test. The results of this research have important significance for providing intuitive observation data on coal meso-damage model and evaluating the performance of coal materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) together with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to study the influence of acupuncture therapy on abdominal fat and hepatic fat content in obese children. Design: The design was a longitudinal, clinical intervention study of acupuncture therapy. Subjects: Subjects were 10 healthy, obese children (age: 11.4 ± 1.65 years, body-mass index [BMI]: 29.03 ± 4.81 kg/m2). Measurements: Measurements included various anthropometric parameters, abdominal fat (assessed by MRI) and hepatic fat content (assessed by 1H-MRS) at baseline and after 1 month of acupuncture therapy. Results: One (1) month of acupuncture therapy significantly reduced the subjects' BMI by 3.5% ( p = 0.005), abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume by 16.04% ( p < 0.0001), abdominal total adipose tissue volume by 10.45% ( p = 0.001), and abdominal visceral to subcutaneous fat ratio by 10.59% ( p = 0.007). Decreases in body weight (-2.13%), waist circumference (-1.44%), hip circumference (-0.33%), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (-0.99%), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) volume (-5.63%), and intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content (-9.03%) were also observed, although these were not significant ( p > 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the level of abdominal fat (SAT, VAT) and anthropometric parameters (weight, BMI, waist circumferences, hip circumferences). There was no statistically significant correlation between IHTG and anthropometric parameters or abdominal fat content. Conclusions: The first direct experimental evidence is provided demonstrating that acupuncture therapy significantly reduces BMI and abdominal adipose tissue by reducing abdominal VAT content without significant changes in body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, abdominal SAT, or IHTG content. Thus, the use of acupuncture therapy to selectively target a reduction in abdominal VAT content should become more important and more popular in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarianism, an ideological system with "the discovery of human existence" as its core, has undergone three important stages. Due to the violent turbulences in China's modern society, the diffusion of humanitarianism in and its impact on China have gone through a long process full of twists and turns, which is also well reflected in the movie creation in China. Humanitarianism is not only a theoretical footstone for the new generation films but also constitutes the guidance for their specific contents and creation methods. However, humanitarianism is misinterpreted and even abused to some extent in some of the new generation films so that there is a kind of pseudo-humanitarianism or even anti-humanitarianism in the production of such films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a new method to estimate recovery factors of oil resources. The China National Petroleum Assessment (2003-2007) (CNPA 2007) evaluates in-place oil resources and applies the recovery factor (RF) to estimate recoverable oil resources. The RF of oil resources plays an important role in the CNPA 2007. Based on the geological features, 24 types of oil assessment units are defined, such as the Mesozoic rift unit, the Mesozoic and Cenozoic foreland unit, etc. Through the recovery factor statistics of oil reserves (discovered) in different accumulations, as well as the potential analyses of enhanced petroleum recovery, appropriate RF valuing standards of oil resources (discovered and undiscovered) in different assessment units are developed. Calculation methods of oil resource RFs are established, including the appraisal standards, scoring, and calculation steps of oil resource RFs. Through the case studies, the valuing and appraisal standards of oil resource RFs are verified. Robust appraisal standards allow the RF method to be a valuable tool to effective assessment of Chinas' recoverable oil resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light rail transit (LRT), an essential urban public transport system in China, significantly reshaped the urban land-use (LU) pattern. Although the LRT impact and land-use change (LUC) analysis plays an essential role in urban planning policy, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of LRT impacts have not been considered in LUC simulation studies. This study simulates the urban LU change, considering the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of LRT construction impacts on urban LUC. LUC from 1995 to 2005 in Nanjing, China, is chosen as a case study. At first, the distance decay function is employed to verify the quantitative impact of LRT construction on LU change. Accordingly, the variation trends of each LU type during different stages are described in time and space. A cellular automata model incorporated by the generated LRT impact is established and then implemented for simulation. According to model performance assessment results, the proposed model can produce a realistic urban pattern with Freedom of Movement (FoM) exceeding 24% and a significantly lower relative error than the CA simulation without considering LRT influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Based on reinforcement learning, an ecological dispatch model of series gate group is constructed. • The constructed model realizes the substantial reciprocating adjustment of the water level of the MRP. • The threshold value of water level drop is given to meet the canal safety control constraints of the MRP. • The model still has high reliability under the condition of observation error. The Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion project (MRP) effectively alleviates the problem of serious shortage of water resources in North China. However, owing to the long-term operation of this project, abnormal algal proliferation has occurred in the upper reaches of the main canal, and the water diversion outlet is easily blocked by the large colonies of algae falling into the canal, which has seriously threatened the water quality and water supply safety of the canal. In light of this issue, this study coupled the reinforcement learning model with the one-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the series sluice group to build an ecological scheduling model for prevention and control of algal proliferation in the MRP. The model was applied to the canal section (approximately 300 km long, from No. G2 to No. G17) where in algae grows easily. The results show that: (1) The model can achieve the desired reciprocating adjustment of the canal water level in the process of decline stability rise within 0.8 m and stably maintain the low water level for more than 72 h; (2) during the process of ecological scheduling, the maximum drawdown of water level satisfying the safety regulation and control constraints of the MRP is 1.0 m; (3) for an ecological regulation water level drop greater than 0.3 m, it is more difficult to restore the initial water level, and the water level rise range should therefore be greater than the decrease range; (4) the constructed model exhibits high robustness. Even for an observation error level less than 0.08 m, the success rate of the model can still exceed 80%. The ecological scheduling scheme generated by the model can be used to destroy the algal habitat conditions through hydrodynamic dynamic regulation, whereby decisional support can be provided for the prevention and control of abnormal proliferation of algae in the main canal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global distribution of canine parvovirus (CPV-2) derived from a closely related carnivore parvovirus poses a considerable threat to the dog population. The virus is continuously undergoing genetic evolution, giving rise to several variants. To investigate the prevalence of Chinese CPV-2 strains in recent years, a total of 30 CPV-2 strains were collected from 2018 to 2021 and the VP2 gene was sequenced and analyzed. Two variants, new CPV-2a (297Ala, 426Asn) and CPV-2c (426Glu), were identified. In contrast to previous reports, the CPV-2c variant has gained an epidemiological advantage over the new CPV-2a variant in China. To compensate for the relatively small sample size, 683 Chinese CPV-2 strains identified between 2014 and 2019 were retrieved from the GenBank database and previous publications, and analyses of these strains further supported our findings, which should be considered since the CPV-2c variant has been frequently associated with immune failure in adult dogs. VP2 protein sequence analysis revealed several amino acid substitutions, including Ala5Gly, Pro13Ser, Phe267Tyr, Tyr324Ile, Gln370Arg, Thr440Ala, and Lys570Arg. Phylogenetic analysis of full-length VP2 gene indicated a close relationship between Chinese strains and other Asian strains, suggesting mutual transmission between Asian countries. Furthermore, intercontinental transmission is a cause for concern. Surprisingly, two feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) strains with the Ile101Thr mutation in the VP2 protein were identified in canine fecal samples; FPV has been considered incapable of infecting dogs. This study clarified the epidemic characteristics of Chinese CPV-2 strains detected between 2014 and 2019, offering a reference for epidemic control. In addition, the detection of FPV in canine samples may provide information for future studies on the evolution of carnivore parvoviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]