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Simple Summary: The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), the only extant species of wild horse, was extinct in the wild in 1960s. The wild horse has been successfully saved from extinction by captive breeding projects outside the historic range. Although multiple studies were conducted, the main problems such as loss of founder genes, inbreeding depression, hybridization with domestic horses, high morbidity and mortality, and a lack of reliable prevention strategies and treatment limitations of these problems are still unresolved and require further scientific effort. This review aims to increase understanding of the scientific attributes that make the survival of the species possible and how these attributes can be useful for appropriate design of conservation and management strategies oriented to improve the viability of the existing population of the species. This review summarizes studies on Przewalski's horse since its extinction in the wild in the 1960s, with a focus on the reintroduction projects in Mongolia and China, with current population status. Historical and present distribution, population trends, ecology and habitats, genetics, behaviors, conservation measures, actual and potential threats are also reviewed. Captive breeding and reintroduction projects have already been implemented, but many others are still under considerations. The review may help to understand the complexity of problem and show the directions for effective practice in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bluetongue virus (BTV), a member of the genus Orbivirus in the family Reoviridae, is transmitted by biting midges and causes severe disease in domestic and wild ruminants. In the present study, a BTV strain, BTV‐20/GX015/China/2013 (GX015), was isolated from sentinel cattle in Guangxi, China. Virus neutralization tests and phylogenetic analyses based on genomic segments 2 (S2) and 6 (S6) indicated that GX015 belongs to BTV serotype 20 (BTV‐20) and represents a new topotype within BTV‐20 strains, which makes GX015 the first BTV‐20 strain isolated in China. Genomic analyses suggested that the 10 genomic segments of GX015 originated from a reassortment event, in which S2 and S6 are derived from exotic BTV‐20 strains (South Africa or Australia), whereas the remaining eight genomic segments are apparently of Chinese origin and most likely share the same ancestor with a Taiwanese BTV‐12 strain. Importantly, we evaluated the infectivity and pathogenicity of the BTV‐20 strain in mice lacking the interferon receptor (IFNAR–/– mice, a good animal model for studying the pathogenesis, virulence and transmission of BTVs) and sheep for the first time, and found that GX015 causes severe disease and death in IFNAR–/– mice and clinical signs and viraemia in the natural host sheep. These results improve our understanding of the genetic characteristics, diversity and pathogenicity of BTVs, which is important for developing diagnostic methods and vaccines for the surveillance and prevention of bluetongue disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was aimed to investigate whether patients with epilepsy (PWE) have higher depression and anxiety levels than the normal population in low-risk areas for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the northern part of Guizhou Province, China, during the COVID-19 epidemic, to evaluate their knowledge on COVID-19, and to analyze related factors for the psychological distress of PWE at this special time. Methods: The survey was conducted online from February 28, 2020 to March 7, 2020 via a questionnaire. PWE from the outpatient clinic of epilepsy of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, and healthy people matched for age and sex, participated in this study. Mental health was assessed via a generalized anxiety self-rating scale (GAD-7) and the self-rating depression scale (PHQ-9). The knowledge of COVID-19 in both groups was investigated. Results: There were no significant differences in the general demographics between the PWE and healthy control groups. The scores of PHQ-9 (P < 0.01) and GAD-7 (P < 0.001) were higher in the PWE group than in the healthy group. There was a significant difference in the proportions of respondents with different severities of depression and anxiety, between the two groups, which revealed significantly higher degree of depression and anxiety in PWE than in healthy people (P = 0, P = 0). Overwhelming awareness and stressful concerns for the pandemic and female patients with epilepsy were key factors that affect the level of anxiety and depression in PWE. Further, the PWE had less accurate knowledge of COVID-19 than healthy people (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the knowledge of virus transmission route, incubation period, susceptible population, transmission speed, clinical characteristics, and isolation measures on COVID-19 (P > 0.05). PWE knew less about some of the prevention and control measures of COVID-19 than healthy people. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 epidemic, excessive attention to the epidemic and the female sex are factors associated with anxiety and depression in PWE, even in low-risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hog deer Axis porcinus formerly occurred in south-west China but has not been recorded there since 1965. To investigate the current status of the species in China, we conducted interviews, and transect and camera-trap surveys during October 2018–June 2020 to search for signs of hog deer across its historical range in the country. We interviewed 50 local inhabitants and surveyed 14 line transects in four counties of Lincang City, Yunnan Province. The camera traps were deployed in Nangunhe Nature Reserve (39.4 km of transects, 82 camera stations, 15,120 camera days) and Daxueshan Nature Reserve (41.1 km of transects, 68 camera stations, 13,554 camera days). We found no hog deer tracks and no hog deer were trapped by cameras. The floodplain grasslands preferred by hog deer along Nanting River have been transformed into agriculture plantations and human settlements. Our findings suggest that hog deer may have been extirpated from China, most likely as a result of habitat loss and overhunting. The conservation priorities for this species in China are the establishment of a protected area in the Nanting River watershed, restoration of habitat and reintroduction of individuals from range countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production and sales of electric vehicles in China are continuously increasing, and a massive wave of scrap batteries is about to emerge. However, there are many challenges in the power battery recycling, such as a disorganized recycling system, a lack of standards, and low efficiency. In addition, the power battery recycling supply chain faces issues such as a lack of transparency, inadequate data management, low trustworthiness, and counterfeit products. Therefore, it's crucial to establish an efficient and sustainable power battery supply chain recycling system. Blockchain technology can provide solutions in decentralized data management, privacy protection, and anti-counterfeiting traceability. It addresses existing problems and improves the Power Batteries Reverse Supply Chain (PBRSC) ecosystem. Thus, this paper proposes a blockchain-based PBRSC management integration framework. Firstly, a four-layer blockchain power battery recycling platform is designed. Secondly, based on the proposed PBRSC framework, this paper studies three key component technologies: double-chain structure and its storage mechanism, information tracing module, and smart contract enabled battery trading management. Then, the validity and feasibility of the double-chain structure was demonstrated experimentally. Finally, the above architecture and key technologies are implemented in the system, the main functional modules are displayed on the interface, and the effectiveness of the framework is explained in cooperation with related enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater pollution has been considered as a prominent bottleneck restricting global sustainable development. China is one of the largest discharges and eco-environmental damages of wastewater in the world. Through analyzing wastewater discharge data using emergy method in China from 2011 to 2017, the wastewater eco-environmental damage of 31 provinces is calculated with GDP and area to reveal the fundamental origins of inflection point of wastewater discharge in China. Studies results show that, (i) Chinese "12th Five-Year Plan" (2011-2015) is a watershed in wastewater discharge, and the eco-environment damages caused by China's wastewater accounted for more than 1/4 of GDP; (ii) China has the great potential to reduce eco-environment damages of 1.73 trillion $/year; (iii) In 2016 and 2017, wastewater eco-environmental damage has decreased by about 50% compared with that in 2015, and the effect of government policies was remarkable. We conclude that decoupling of China's economic development form eco-environmental damages of wastewater is began to appear, the strict formulation and implementation of China's environmental policies and the green upgrading of industrial structure are main driving forces, and it is little correlation with economic slowdown. This study offers the detailed list of China wastewater pollution and reveals the relationship between wastewater eco-environmental damages and economic development, and shows the experience and achievements of the Chinese government in the treatment of wastewater pollution, which provides a useful reference for the treatment of wastewater pollution in the world., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)