Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Non-Grain Production of Cultivated Land and Its Driving Factors in Chengdu Plain

Cultivated land is the cornerstone of grain production and the basic resource to ensure food security. Understanding the non-grain production status of cultivated land in the main grain-producing areas of western China is necessary to provide a basis for regional sustainable agricultural development and cultivated land protection decision-making. In this study, Chengdu Plain was selected as an empirical research area. A mathematical quantization model and spatial autocorrelation method were used to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of non-grain production of cultivated land in Chengdu Plain, and an econometric model was constructed to identify its driving factors. The results showed that the cultivated land area did not change significantly in the Chengdu Plain from 2000 to 2019; however, the small change in cultivated land area did not mean that its actual use changed little, and the non-grain production status of cultivated land was obvious. (1) From 2000 to 2019, both the Non-Grain production Area (NGA) and the Non-Grain production Rate (NGR) in Chengdu Plain showed a fluctuating and increasing trend, with an increased rate of 4.40% and 13.53%, respectively, which indicates that cultivated land protection and food security were under great pressure. (2) In terms of space, the NGA in 34 districts and counties of Chengdu Plain presents a multi-center scattered distribution, which shows a spatial pattern of high in the center and low in the northeast and southwest, and the NGA's spatial agglomeration areas are concentrated in Chengdu and its neighboring cities. (3) Economic Crop Planting Scale (ECPS), Agricultural Structure Adjustment (ASA), Urbanization Rate (UR), and Cultivated Land Protection Policy (CLPP) are the most important factors affecting the non-grain transformation of cultivated land in Chengdu Plain. Some suggestions are proposed: red lines should be drawn to implement a control system for cultivated land use; departmental collaboration must be strengthened to build a synergy of cultivated land protection; the agricultural subsidy system must be improved to defend farmers' fundamental rights and interests; and policy advocacy for cultivated land protection should be enhanced to raise food security awareness. This study can better reflect the non-grain production status of cultivated land in Chengdu Plain, and from the spatial unit of district and county, it provides a good perspective for the study of the non-grain production of cultivated land. This study also provides a scientific foundation for decision-making regarding regional sustainable agricultural development and cultivated land protection

Preparation of Bamboo-Based Hierarchical Porous Carbon Modulated by FeCl3 towards Efficient Copper Adsorption

Using bamboo powder biochar as raw material, high-quality meso/microporous controlled hierarchical porous carbon was prepared—through the catalysis of Fe3+ ions loading, in addition to a chemical activation method—and then used to adsorb copper ions in an aqueous solution. The preparation process mainly included two steps: load-alkali leaching and chemical activation. The porosity characteristics (specific surface area and mesopore ratio) were controlled by changing the K2CO3 impregnation ratio, activation temperature, and Fe3+ ions loading during the activation process. Additionally, three FBPC samples with different pore structures and characteristics were studied for copper adsorption. The results indicate that the adsorption performance of the bamboo powder biochar FBPC material was greatly affected by the meso/micropore ratio. FBPC 2.5-900-2%, impregnated at a K2CO3: biochar ratio of 2.5 and a Fe3+: biochar mass ratio of 2%, and activated at 900 °C for 2 h in N2 atmosphere, has a very high specific surface area of 1996 m2 g−1 with a 58.1% mesoporous ratio. Moreover, it exhibits an excellent adsorption capacity of 256 mg g−1 and rapid adsorption kinetics for copper ions. The experimental results show that it is feasible to control the hierarchical pore structure of bamboo biochar-derived carbons as a high-performance adsorbent to remove copper ions from water

Evaluation of the Thermal Behavior, Synergistic Catalysis, and Pollutant Emissions during the Co-Combustion of Sewage Sludge and Coal Gasification Fine Slag Residual Carbon

The conversion of solid waste into energy through combustion is sustainable and economical. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate and quantify the co-combustion characteristics, synergistic catalysis, and gaseous pollutant emission patterns of sewage sludge (SS) and coal gasification fine slag residual carbon (RC) as well as their blends through thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry (TG-MS). The results showed that the co-combustion of SS and RC can not only improve the ignition and burnout property but also maintain the combustion stability and comprehensive combustion performance at a better level. The kinetic analysis results showed that a first-order chemical reaction and three-dimensional diffusion are the reaction mechanisms during the co-combustion of SS and RC. The synergistic catalysis between SS and RC can well explain the changes in activation energy and reaction mechanism. Furthermore, the blending ratio of SS is recommended to be maintained at 40% because of the lowest activation energy (Ea = 81.6 kJ/mol) and the strongest synergistic effect (Xi = 0.36). The emission of gaseous pollutants is corresponding to the primary combustion stages of SS, RC, and their blends. In co-combustion, the NH3, HCN, NOx, and SO2 emissions gradually rise with the increase of SS proportion in the blends due to the high content of organic compounds in SS

Comparison of Different Varieties on Quality Characteristics and Microbial Activity of Fresh-Cut Pineapple during Storage

This study compared the quality and storage characteristics of four pineapple varieties to select those displaying adequate storage resistance and those suitable for freshly cut processing. Four varieties of pineapple, namely Tainong No.16, Tainong No.17, Tainong No.11, and Bali, were used to analyze the quality differences in freshly cut pineapple during storage by measuring the quality, physiological indicators, and total microbial count. The results indicated that the nutritional quality and storability of freshly cut pineapples differed significantly among the varieties. During refrigeration at 4 °C, Tainong No.11 and Bali displayed the shortest storage period of 4 d, while Tainong No.17 and Tainong No.16 presented storage periods of 5 d and 6 d, respectively. A sensory evaluation indicated that the Tainong No.16 variety was superior in terms of consumer preference, while the Bali slices were generally rated lower than the other cultivars. Additionally, the sensory properties, weight loss, firmness, and ascorbic acid (AA) content of Tainong No.16 changed the least during storage, with values of 60.75%, 6.48%, 75.15%, and 20.44%, respectively. Overall, the quality order of the four varieties of freshly cut pineapples during storage was: Tainong No.16 > Tainong No.17 > Tainong No.11 > Bali. Moreover, two-way ANOVA showed that the main effect of variety and storage time on the storage quality of fresh-cut pineapple was significant (p < 0.05). The interaction effect of variety and storage time on other quality characteristics of fresh-cut pineapple was significant (p < 0.05) except for Titratable acid (TA) and AA. In conclusion, Tainong No.16 displayed higher storage potential than the other varieties. The results of this work provide application possibilities to promote the successful processing of pineapple cultivars as freshly cut produce

Lung tumor discrimination by deep neural network model CanDo via DNA methylation in bronchial lavage

Summary: Bronchoscopic-assisted discrimination of lung tumors presents challenges, especially in cases with contraindications or inaccessible lesions. Through meta-analysis and validation using the HumanMethylation450 database, this study identified methylation markers for molecular discrimination in lung tumors and designed a sequencing panel. DNA samples from 118 bronchial washing fluid (BWF) specimens underwent enrichment via multiplex PCR before targeted methylation sequencing. The Recursive Feature Elimination Cross-Validation and deep neural network algorithm established the CanDo classification model, which incorporated 11 methylation features (including 8 specific to the TBR1 gene), demonstrating a sensitivity of 98.6% and specificity of 97.8%. In contrast, bronchoscopic rapid on-site evaluation (bronchoscopic-ROSE) had lower sensitivity (87.7%) and specificity (80%). Further validation in 33 individuals confirmed CanDo’s discriminatory potential, particularly in challenging cases for bronchoscopic-ROSE due to pathological complexity. CanDo serves as a valuable complement to bronchoscopy for the discriminatory diagnosis and stratified management of lung tumors utilizing BWF specimens