The dynamics of vegetation coverage and associated driving forces are one of the key issues in global environmental change. In the study, taking Lijiang County as a case, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was used to quantify vegetation coverage change in mountain areas of Northwestern Yunnan, China, with the application of remote sensing data and GIS technologies. And associated driving forces of vegetation coverage change were also analyzed, with a focus on land use change and elevation. The results showed that there was high vegetation coverage with a significant increase in the whole county during 1986-2002. However, due to economic development and the implementation of environmental protection polices, vegetation coverage change in the county showed distinct spatial diversity, which mainly behaved as the increasing in the northwest of the county with low human activities, and the decreasing in the south with high economic development. The results also showed that as a restrictive factor, elevation was of great signification on the spatial distribution of vegetation coverage in a broad scale; while in the county level, it was land use that determined the vegetation coverage, since the change of vegetation coverage grades in the study area was mainly associated with the change of land use types.

This paper describes the first case of infection with a recently described novel bunyavirus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), in Shanghai, China. The case is originally from Chizhou City, Anhui province within an endemic area for SFTSV. We describe the etiology, epidemiological characteristics, clinical diagnosis and treatment of this fatal case. This case is unique because major cause of death was renal failure, whereas other reported cases have been due to hemorrhage. The investigation and response to this case provides meaningful insight for the early and rapid diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in non-endemic regions in China and globally.

No abstract

Drawing on data from the 2016 National Assessment of Collegiate Capacity in China, the study on which this article reports explored the value‐added effects of critical thinking capacity in higher education. Specifically, the analysis was developed using the difference in residuals model based on the Hierarchical Linear Modelling approach. The results show that, first, critical thinking capacity is malleable and can be improved through undergraduate education. Second, the results demonstrate that the value‐added effects of undergraduate education on college students' critical thinking capacity are heterogeneous. Only half of the value‐added effects achieved in higher education in China were positive. Third, the size of value‐added effects was not fully aligned with the level of the institutions. High‐ranking universities did not always perform well in achieving high value‐added effects on critical thinking capacity. This study analyses the reasons why some universities in China face insurmountable challenges in efforts to improve college students' critical thinking capacity. Challenges are highlighted from multiple perspectives. Corresponding improvement strategies are proposed in the concluding discussion.