Mitigating Grand Challenges in Life Cycle Inventory Modeling through the Applications of Large Language Models.

The accuracy of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies is often questioned due to the two grand challenges of life cycle inventory (LCI) modeling: (1) missing foreground flow data and (2) inconsistency in background data matching. Traditional mechanistic methods (e.g., process simulation) and existing machine learning (ML) methods (e.g., similarity-based selection methods) are inadequate due to their limitations in scalability and generalizability. The large language models (LLMs) are well-positioned to address these challenges, given the massive and diverse knowledge learned through the pretraining step. Incorporating LLMs into LCI modeling can lead to the automation of inventory data curation from diverse data sources and to the implementation of a multimodal analytical capacity. In this article, we delineated the mechanisms and advantages of LLMs to addressing these two grand challenges. We also discussed the future research to enhance the use of LLMs for LCI modeling, which includes the key areas such as improving retrieval augmented generation (RAG), integration with knowledge graphs, developing prompt engineering strategies, and fine-tuning pretrained LLMs for LCI-specific tasks. The findings from our study serve as a foundation for future research on scalable and automated LCI modeling methods that can provide more appropriate data for LCA calculations.

Material Flow Analysis of Dysprosium in the United States.

Dysprosium (Dy) is increasingly being adopted in various clean energy products around the world, intriguing many nations' interests in its availability. However, since data are inaccessible, crucial information about Dy supplies and demands across products and countries remains incomplete. To fill these knowledge gaps, we performed a dynamic bottom-up material flow analysis of Dy, taking the United States (1987-2018) as a case. The results show that the United States (US) domestic demands experienced a growing trend (by 45-fold) with fluctuation and several shifts among applications, primarily owing to technological advancement. A large imbalance (80 times) exists between domestic mineral supplies and market demands, resulting in significant import dependency, with the net import reliance of alloys, chemicals, finished products, and concentrates being 97, 44, 40, and 31%, respectively. Dy is mainly imported as finished products (55.7%) and alloys (43.2%), with concentrates (0.4%) and chemicals (0.7%) accounting for less than 2%. This import dependency may result from fragmentation of the US supply chains because of the stricter environmental regulations on upstream industries and reshoring of the downstream industries. These findings suggest that rare-earth mineral production in the US is about to restart, and it is important for industries to seek international collaboration to boost product competition.

Prediction of congenital heart disease for newborns: comparative analysis of Holt-Winters exponential smoothing and autoregressive integrated moving average models.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the temporal trend of the number of new congenital heart disease (CHD) cases among newborns in Jinhua from 2019 to 2020 and explored an appropriate model to fit and forecast the tendency of CHD. METHODS: Data on CHD from 2019 to 2020 was collected from a health information system. We counted the number of newborns with CHD weekly and separately used the additive Holt-Winters ES method and ARIMA model to fit and predict the number of CHD for newborns in Jinhua. By comparing the mean square error, rooted mean square error and mean absolute percentage error of each approach, we evaluated the effects of different approaches for predicting the number of CHD in newborns. RESULTS: A total of 1135 newborns, including 601 baby girls and 534 baby boys, were admitted for CHD from HIS in Jinhua during the 2-year study period. The prevalence of CHD among newborns in Jinhua in 2019 was 0.96%. Atrial septal defect was diagnosed the most frequently among all newborns with CHD. The number of CHD cases among newborns remained stable in 2019 and 2020. There were fewer cases in spring and summer, while cases peaked in November and December. The ARIMA(2,1,1) model relatively offered advantages over the additive Holt-winters ES method in predicting the number of newborns with CHD, while the accuracy of ARIMA(2,1,1) was not very ideal. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of CHD is related to many risk factors, therefore, when using temporal models to fit and predict the data, we must consider such factors' influence and try to incorporate them into the models.

Planetary Boundaries for Forests and Their National Exceedance.

Achieving forest sustainability is a declared sustainable development goal (SDG 15). Measuring the safe operating space─planetary boundaries─of global forests is essential to determine global forest pressure and manage forests sustainably. Here, we quantify the forestry planetary boundary (FPB) and national forestry boundaries. Results show that, in 2015, the FPB was 7.1 billion m3 of forest stock increments. Global timber harvests account for 58.7% of the FPB. Timber harvests of 47 nations, mostly in Africa and Asia, have exceeded their national forestry boundaries. Their boundary-exceeding timber harvest is mainly driven by the final demand of developed nations (e.g., the United States and Japan) and emerging economies (e.g., India and China) through global supply chains. This study highlights the importance of the FPB in global forest management and trade-related policymaking. The findings can guide global and national forest harvesting activities and help promote international cooperation to mitigate global deforestation.

CO2 Emissions Embodied in International Migration from 1995 to 2015.

While present international CO2 mitigation agreements account for the impact of population composition and structure on emissions, the impact of international migration is overlooked. This study quantifies the CO2 footprint of international immigrants and reveals their non-negligible impacts on global CO2 emissions. Results show that the CO2 footprint of international immigrants has increased from 1.8 gigatonnes (Gt) in 1995 to 2.9 Gt in 2015. In 2015, the U.S. had the largest total and per capita CO2 emissions caused by international immigrants. Oceania and the Middle East are highlighted for their large portions of immigrant-caused CO2 emissions in total CO2 emissions (around 20%). Changes in the population and structure of global migration have kept increasing global CO2 emissions during 1995-2015, while the reduction of CO2 emission intensity helped offset global CO2 emissions. The global CO2 mitigation targets must consider the effects of global migration. Moreover, demand-side measures need to focus on major immigrant influx nations.

Spatially Explicit Global Hotspots Driving China's Mercury Related Health Impacts.

Over 100 nations signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury to control the adverse effects of mercury (Hg) emissions on human beings. A spatially explicit analysis is needed to identify the specific sources and distribution of Hg-related health impacts. This study maps China's Hg-related health impacts and global supply chain drivers (i.e., global final consumers and primary suppliers) at a high spatial resolution. Here we show significant spatial heterogeneity in hotspots of China's Hg-related health impacts. Approximately 1% of the land area holds only 40% of the Chinese population but nearly 70% of the fatal heart attack deaths in China. Moreover, approximately 3% of the land area holds nearly 60% of the population but 70% of the intelligence quotient (IQ) decrements. The distribution of hotspots of China's Hg-related health impacts and global supply chain drivers are influenced by various factors including population, economy, transportation, resources, and dietary intake habits. These spatially explicit hotspots can support more effective policies in various stages of the global supply chains and more effective international cooperation to reduce Hg-related health impacts. This can facilitate the successful implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Rapid Increase in Cement-Related Mercury Emissions and Deposition in China during 2005-2015.

The cement industry has become the largest mercury (Hg) emission source in China. Better understanding Hg emission and deposition characteristics and drivers of Hg emission changes can increase the awareness of related risks and support effective policy making. The results show that due to the substantial increase in the use of new suspension preheater and precalciner (NSP) technology in China, an approximate two-fold increase from 80.0 to 144.0 Mg year-1 was observed for the cement-related Hg emissions during 2005-2015, which has resulted in a considerable increase in atmospheric deposition over terrestrial China from 37.9 to 75.9 Mg year-1. Compared to the great majority of emission sectors, the same increase in Hg emissions from cement production can cause more deposition due to the large share of highly water-soluble divalent Hg in the sector. Each 1% increase in the share of divalent Hg can result in an increase of 0.37 Mg year-1 in deposition over terrestrial China. Technical improvement and diversification of cement products are two major driving forces offsetting the economy-induced growth in cement-related Hg emissions during 2005-2015. Measures aimed at reducing the Hg emission intensity against the further increase in the use of NSP technology and avoiding overcapacity against the stimulation of real estate and increasing cement demands are urgently needed for the cement industry in China.

Quantifying Direct and Indirect Spatial Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus in China.

Food, energy, and water resources, which are interconnected with one another, are essential to human beings and sustainable development goals. Existing studies have quantified direct interconnections of food, energy, and water (FEW) systems in China but overlooked their indirect and spatial interconnections through production systems of other products. Quantifying both the direct and indirect spatial interconnections of food, energy, and water systems is the basis of holistic FEW resource management. The spatial interconnections of the FEW systems within China's economic supply chains at the provincial level were quantified from both demand-driven and supply-push perspectives in this study. Results show that food and energy subsystems have tighter coupling relations than the other relationships in the FEW nexus from the demand perspective, and food and water subsystems have tighter coupling relations from the supply perspective. Findings of this study highlight the necessity of demand-side and supply-side measures by identifying critical final consumers and primary suppliers. For example, primary inputs of energy extraction sectors in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Heilongjiang are crucial for national water withdrawals. Sustainable management of FEW resources in China can be better achieved through strengthening the interdepartmental and interregional cooperation from both the demand and supply sides.

A high spatial resolution dataset for anthropogenic atmospheric mercury emissions in China during 1998-2014.

China is the largest atmospheric mercury (Hg) emitter globally, which has been substantially investigated. However, the estimation of national or regional Hg emissions in China is insufficient in supporting emission control, as the location of the sources may have significant impacts on the effects of Hg emissions. In this concern, high-spatial-resolution datasets of China's Hg emissions are necessary for in-depth and accurate Hg-related studies and policymaking. Existing gridded datasets are constructed using population distribution as the proxy, which is limited as Hg emissions are closely related to energy consumption and economic processes. This study constructs a dataset of anthropogenic atmospheric Hg emissions in China gridded to a 1 km resolution during 1998-2014. This dataset is produced based on data of land uses, individual enterprises, roadmaps, and population, uncovering Hg emissions in agriculture, industries, services, and residents. This dataset can promote the reliability of Hg-related studies at a high spatial resolution. Moreover, this dataset can support spatially explicit Hg reduction of economic sectors.

Cascading costs of snow cover reduction trend in northern hemisphere.

Environmental changes in response to global warming would conversely deplete the efficacy of our actions combating climate change, cultivating extra cost. Among them, the declining snow cover due to global warming would diminish its contribution to climate regulation, and further exacerbate global warming. This leads to a part of global carbon mitigation efforts acting virtually to neutralize the impact of snow cover reduction. It would have been otherwise saved to contribute to the goals of the Paris Agreement. In this respect, here we evaluate the economic impacts of snow cover reduction in the Northern Hemisphere in terms of the mitigation that virtually counteracts the loss of climate regulation pertinent to the snow cover reduction trend, to demonstrate the magnitude of the cascading costs of climate change. As different carbon mitigation approaches would lead to different economic impacts, we follow the general principles of the Paris Agreement and establish two responsibility-sharing scenarios. The results reveal the non-negligible global costs considering not only the impact incurred by the nations implementing carbon mitigation but also, in the context of globalization, the cascading effect magnified in the global supply chain. We also identify critical nations, sectors, and international trade pairs that would confront the most costs. The results urge hotspot nations and trade partners to actively participate in the enhanced global efforts through the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions. This can not only mitigate its direct global warming effect, but also abate the impacts of collateral environmental deterioration, such as snow cover reduction, eventually for their own benefits.

China economy-wide material flow account database from 1990 to 2020.

Material utilisation has been playing a fundamental role in economic development, but meanwhile, it may have environmental and social consequences. Given China's rapid economic growth, understanding China's material utilisation patterns would inform decisions for researchers and policymakers. However, fragmented data from multiple statistical sources hinder us from comprehensively portraying China's material utilisation dynamics. This study harmonised China-specific official statistics and constructed a China economy-wide material flow accounts database. This database covers hundreds of materials and more than 30 years (1990-2020) from thousands of data sources, which is comprehensive, long-term, up-to-date, and publicly accessed. This database would provide insights into the historical metabolic dynamics of China's economy with elaboration on the production, consumption, and end-of-life disposal of materials. This database also allows for international analyses since it is developed based on an internationally standardised analytical framework. Furthermore, this study would benefit studies on policy impact evaluation, environmental pressure assessment, and sustainable development strategies.

[Chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletion and phenotype analysis of patients with non-syndromic tetralogy of Fallot].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency and clinical phenotypes of 22q11.2 microdeletion in patients with non-syndromic tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). METHODS: Six-eight non-syndromic TOF patients (38 males and 30 females, aged 0-11 years) were selected and evaluated by history, physical examination and review of medical records. After informed consent was obtained, peripheral blood was drawn for genomic DNA extraction. Chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletion was screened by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Suspected cases were confirmed with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Data was analyzed with SPSS 11.5 software. Phenotype-genotype correlations were assessed using Fisher's exact test. P values less than 0.05 on a 2-sided test were considered to be significant. RESULTS: Six-eight non-syndromic TOF children were screened for a 22q11.2 deletion, among which 59 (86.8%) presented pulmonary stenosis (PS) and 9 (13.2%) presented pulmonary atresia (PA). Seven patients (10.3%) were found to have carried a deletion. Among these, four had TOF-PS, three had TOF-PA. The frequency of 22q11.2 deletion in patients with TOF-PA (3/9, 33.3%) is much higher than that of TOF-PS (4/59, 6.80%) (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: 22q11.2 microdeletion is present in approximately 10.3% of patients with non-syndromic TOF. The deletion tends to have a higher prevalence in patients with TOF-PA. 22q11.2 deletion should be screened in non-syndromic TOF children and genetic counselling may be provided.

Mapping spatial supply chain paths for embodied water flows driven by food demand in China.

Identifying critical spatial supply chain paths for embodied water flows driven by food demand can guide the development of more spatially explicit food-related policies for water savings. Previous studies have quantified water uses caused by food demand, but overlook intermediate transfer paths within and among regions. That is, spatial supply chain paths describing step-by-step transfer stages between water uses and final food demand have not been well characterized. Based on the multi-regional input-output model and structural path analysis, this study exhaustively identifies critical spatial supply chain paths for provincial water withdrawals driven by final food demand in China. Results show that the final demand of food products from critical sectors (e.g., agricultural products processing, rice, and swine) and regions (e.g., Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, and Guangdong) drives large amounts of water withdrawals. Critical supply chain paths indicate that agricultural products processing, food manufacturing, and catering should pay special attention to increasing the use efficiency of rice, poultry, cotton, water, and gas products, which can effectively reduce national water withdrawals. The interregional paths further provide evidence for interregional cooperation to save food-related water resources, such as the transfer of capital and technologies from agricultural products processing in Shandong to cotton production in Xinjiang and rice production in Heilongjiang. These critical supply chain paths provide spatially explicit and targeted hotspots for demand-side policies. They can also serve for the evaluation of measures in each stage of the supply chain paths.

Saving less in China facilitates global CO2 mitigation.

Transforming China's economic growth pattern from investment-driven to consumption-driven can significantly change global CO2 emissions. This study is the first to analyse the impacts of changes in China's saving rates on global CO2 emissions both theoretically and empirically. Here, we show that the increase in the saving rates of Chinese regions has led to increments of global industrial CO2 emissions by 189 million tonnes (Mt) during 2007-2012. A 15-percentage-point decrease in the saving rate of China can lower global CO2 emissions by 186 Mt, or 0.7% of global industrial CO2 emissions. Greener consumption in China can lead to a further 14% reduction in global industrial CO2 emissions. In particular, decreasing the saving rate of Shandong has the most massive potential for global CO2 reductions, while that of Inner Mongolia has adverse effects. Removing economic frictions to allow the production system to fit China's increased consumption can facilitate global CO2 mitigation.

Trans-provincial health impacts of atmospheric mercury emissions in China.

Mercury (Hg) exposure poses substantial risks to human health. Investigating a longer chain from economic activities to human health can reveal the sources and critical processes of Hg-related health risks. Thus, we develop a more comprehensive assessment method which is applied to mainland China-the largest global Hg emitter. We present a map of Hg-related health risks in China and estimate that 0.14 points of per-foetus intelligence quotient (IQ) decrements and 7,360 deaths from fatal heart attacks are related to the intake of methylmercury in 2010. This study, for the first time, reveals the significant impacts of interprovincial trade on Hg-related health risks across the whole country. For instance, interprovincial trade induced by final consumption prevents 0.39 × 10-2 points for per-foetus IQ decrements and 194 deaths from fatal heart attacks. These findings highlight the importance of policy decisions in different stages of economic supply chains to reduce Hg-related health risks.

Primary cardiac tumors in children: a center's experience.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac tumors which may induce sudden death are rare entities with an autopsy frequency of 0.001-0.030 %. This study aims to analyze the characteristics and outcome of pediatric patients with primary cardiac tumors treated in our center. METHODS: Sixteen patients with primary cardiac tumors treated at our center between January 2000 and December 2014 were included into this retrospective review. The patients' age ranged from 1 day to 13 years (mean age, 46 months), with weight ranging from 3.2 to 45 kg (mean weight 17.5 kg). All patients were diagnosed by echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. RESULTS: We did complete resection of the mass in 15 patients with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), whereas partial resection was done in one patient. Fifteen children recovered well, and one patient died of low cardiac output syndrome at 5 days after operation. Rhabdomyoma was the most frequent tumor type, followed by myxoma, fibroma, hemangioma; No malignant tumors were found. CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography has provided consistent assessment of anatomy and function. Complete surgical resection is valuable treatment for cardiac mass when detected even in asymptomatic patients. Rhabdomyoma is the most frequent tumor type, followed by myxoma and fibroma.

True thymic hyperplasia in an infant.

True thymic hyperplasia is a very rare entity. We present an instance of idiopathic true massive thymic hyperplasia in a 9-month-old girl with a very large left-sided mediastinal mass noted on diagnostic imaging. Percutaneous biopsy revealed normal thymic tissue. Steroids were administered with no response. Surgery may be required in patients with respiratory distress unresponsive to steroids.