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There is an urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of cropland fragmentation that can provide valuable insights for guiding policies related to cropland protection, restoration, and other relevant measures. Despite the growing number of studies focusing on cropland fragmentation, a nationwide, long-term, and fine-scale understanding of the spatiotemporal changes in cropland fragmentation across China remains lacking. This study aimed to construct a novel comprehensive index that quantitatively assesses the level of farmland fragmentation, to fully elucidate the spatial and temporal dynamics of farmland fragmentation in China at the county level over the last two decades, and to identify the relationships between farmland fragmentation and key factors from anthropogenic and natural perspectives. Utilizing the 30 m annual and continuous time series Landsat-derived annual China land cover dataset (CLCD) from 2000 to 2021, we integrated three landscape pattern metrics- patch density (PD), mean patch area (MPA), and edge density (ED)- to devise a new comprehensive cropland fragmentation index (CFI). We also developed a Beta regression method to identify the relationships between CFI and key factors from human and natural perspectives. The results show that counties with high cropland fragmentation (CFI > 0.8) are predominantly located in the central part of China and the coastal areas, and the counties with low cropland fragmentation (CFI < 0.2) are mainly in the North China Plain, the Northeast Plain, and some areas in the northwest. Among counties experiencing an increase or decrease in fragmentation, the primary types of cropland conversions are between cropland and grassland, as well as between cropland and forests. A third major type of conversion involves the transformation of cropland into impervious surfaces. CFI had a significantly negative linear relationship with total area of cropland in each county while showing a positive relationship with the total cropland patches in each county. The variables CFI and slope, and CFI and nighttime light (NTL) data, exhibited a quadratic parabolic relationship. The findings presented in this study provide crucial insights into the underlying causes and patterns of farmland fragmentation in China. These insights will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and land managers, enabling them to devise effective strategies for sustainable land use planning and promoting rural development in the country. [Display omitted] • Limited knowledge on fine-scale cropland fragmentation in China • A new synthetic cropland fragmentation index (CFI) was developed. • Counties with high and low CFI were identified during the lastest two decades. • Primary cropland conversions: cropland to grassland and forests, and cropland to impervious surfaces. • The relationships between CFI and influencing factors and their thresholds were detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • In vitro study investigates the effects of DOP on human intestinal microbiota. • DOP could modulate intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism. • PICRUSt showed DOP could modulate intestinal microbiota metabolic pathways genes. • DOP have prebiotic potential and may improve gastrointestinal health. Abstract The current study investigated the effects of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOP) on human intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism via in vitro fermentation. Following 48 h of fermentation, 63.88% ± 2.40% of the total carbohydrate in the DOP was consumed and pH decreased from 6.95 to 4.70. Meanwhile, the total short chain fatty acid (SCFA) productions significantly increased, with the major SCFA being acetic, propionic and butyric acids. 16S rRNA analysis revealed several differences in the intestinal microbiota community structure between the DOP-treatment culture and control, DOP increased the population of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and decreased the abundance of Proteobacteria. PICRUSt functional profile prediction revealed that DOP increased the abundance of genes in amino acid and fatty acid metabolic pathways. The results of metabolites determination also showed higher amino acids and fatty acids metabolites. These results suggest that polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale have prebiotic potential and may improve gastrointestinal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study constructed a bivalent chimeric virus-like particle vaccine (ND-IBD cVLPs) displaying the ND virus (NDV) HN protein and the IBD virus (IBDV) VP2 protein. • ND-IBD cVLPs stimulated highly effective HI antibody levels against NDV HN protein and ELISA antibody levels against the IBDV VP2 protein. • ND-IBD cVLPs provided complete protection against virulent NDV and IBDV challenges and alleviated the pathological damage caused by viral infection. Newcastle disease (ND) and infectious bursal disease (IBD) pose significant threats to the chicken industry, causing substantial economic losses. Currently, immunization through vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent ND and IBD but currently used traditional vaccines, including inactivated or attenuated vaccines, face challenges in achieving a balance between immunogenicity and safety. To develop a green and efficient novel vaccine for ND and IBD, we developed a bivalent chimeric virus-like particle vaccine (ND-IBD cVLPs) displaying the ND virus (NDV) HN protein and the IBD virus (IBDV) VP2 protein based on the ND VLPs carrier platform and insect baculovirus expression system. This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of ND-IBD cVLPs in specific pathogen-free chickens. Chickens were immunized with 50 µg of purified ND-IBD cVLPs at 7 days old, boosted at 21 days old, and challenged at 42 days old. The results demonstrated that ND-IBD cVLPs stimulated highly effective hemagglutination inhibition antibody levels against NDV HN protein and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antibody levels against the IBDV VP2 protein. Furthermore, ND-IBD cVLPs provided complete protection against virulent NDV and IBDV challenges and mitigated pathological damage to the lung caused by NDV infection and the bursa of Fabricius caused by IBDV infection. These findings suggest that ND-IBD cVLPs hold promise as a safe and efficient novel vaccine candidate for the effective prevention of ND and IBD, extending the development of a foreign protein delivery platform of ND VLPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A solute-saturated supercritical fluid loading (SSFL) process was proposed to load 2-phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) in silica and activated carbon (AC). The adsorption and loading amounts of PEA in carries were investigated at different temperatures (50.0–60.0 °C) and pressures (8.0–14.0 MPa) by a column sampling method. By using a high-pressure quartz spring method, the adsorption amounts of the binary PEA and CO 2 in silica were determined. The retention of PEA in the SSFL powder flavors was evaluated by a nitrogen-purging method. Results revealed that, compared with AC, silica had high loading of PEA (maximum 0.484 g/g) and showed better results in PEA preservation from loss at room temperature and control release at higher temperature; PEA suppressed the adsorption of CO 2 at relatively high pressure. Discussion indicated that precipitation and adsorption contributed to the high loading of PEA in silica, while adsorption mainly contributed to that in AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feedstock design is crucial for lignocellulosic biomass use. Current strategies for feedstock design cannot be readily applied to improve the quality of biomass-based materials, limiting the sustainability and economics of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Recent studies have advanced the understanding of biomass structure–property relationships and discovered several characteristics, such as molecular weight, uniformity, linkage profile, and functional groups, that are critical for manufacturing diverse quality biomaterials. These discoveries call for fundamentally different strategies for feedstock development. Such strategies need to rediscover the roles of monolignol biosynthesis enzymes and leverage lignin polymerization enzymes to achieve precise control of lignin molecular structure. These innovations could transform biomass into feedstock for high-quality biomaterials, addressing essential environmental challenges and empowering the bioeconomy. Biomaterial manufacturing is critical in empowering the bioeconomy as well as sustainability and cost-effectiveness of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Lignin and cellulose could be renewable, abundant, and low-cost biopolymers for synthesizing a diverse range of functional materials to promote energy and environmental sustainability. Conventional understanding of key biomass characteristics for carbohydrate saccharification does not inform biomaterial synthesis and quality, and a new understanding of the structure–property relationship is needed, particularly for lignin. Recent advances have identified lignin molecular weight, uniformity, linkage profile, and functional group as the new key biomass characteristics for biomaterial manufacturing. Feedstock design can derive the aforementioned biomass features, empowering high-quality material synthesis. Transforming biomass into feedstock for various high-quality materials can address a broad range of environmental challenges and empower the bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Optimal DWPT rollout reduces life cycle GHG & energy by up to 9% & 7% respectively. • Roadside solar panels are essential to reduce DWPT life cycle energy and GHG. • Electrifying up to 3% of roadways downsizes EV battery capacity by up to 48% • GHG and energy burdens can break even within 20 years, but costs beyond 20 years. • The cost of GHG mitigation by DWPT is $556/tonne of mitigated GHG. Abstract Dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT), or dynamic wireless charging technology, enables charging-while-driving and offers opportunities for eliminating range anxiety, stimulating market penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), and enhancing the sustainability performance of electrified transportation. However, the deployment of wireless charging lanes on highways and urban road networks can be costly and resource-intensive. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to compare the sustainability performance of DWPT applied in a network of highways and urban roads for charging electric passenger cars. The assessment compares DWPT to stationary wireless charging and to conventional plug-in charging using a case study of Washtenaw County in Michigan, USA over 20 years. The LCA is based on three key sustainability metrics: costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and energy burdens, encompassing not only the use-phase burdens from electricity and fuel, but also the upfront deployment burdens of DWPT infrastructure. A genetic algorithm is applied to optimize the rollout of DWPT infrastructure both spatially and temporally in order to minimize life cycle costs, GHG, and energy burdens: (1) spatial optimization selects road segments to deploy DWPT considering traffic volume, speed, and pavement remaining service life (RSL); (2) temporal optimization determines in which year to deploy DWPT on a particular road segment considering EV market share growth as a function of DWPT coverage rate, future DWPT cost reduction, and charging efficiency improvement. Results indicate that optimal deployment of DWPT electrifying up to about 3% of total roadway lane-miles reduces life cycle GHG emissions and energy by up to 9.0% and 6.8%, respectively, and enables downsizing of the EV battery capacity by up to 48%, compared to the non-DWPT scenarios. Roadside solar panels and storage batteries are essential to significantly reduce life cycle energy and GHG burdens but bring additional costs. Breakeven analysis indicates a breakeven year for solar charging benefits to pay back the DWPT infrastructure burdens can be less than 20 years for GHG and energy burdens but longer than 20 years for costs. A monetization of carbon emissions of at least $250 per metric tonne of CO 2 is required to shift the optimal "pro-cost" deployment to the optimal "pro-GHG" deployment. A roadway segment with volume greater than about 26,000 vehicle counts per day, speed slower than 55 miles per hour (1 mile ≈ 1.609 km), and pavement RSL shorter than 3 years should be given a high priority for early-stage DWPT deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]