A comparative life cycle assessment

We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Brazilian Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES) , the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) capacity building program on energy and environmental planning (PRH-41 ANP) and Braskem S.A. in the early stages of this research. This work received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant 101056868 (CIRCOMOD). Finally, we would like to thank the four anonymous reviewers who have contributed to the paper with constructive feedback. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The AuthorsPlastics account for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are hard-to-abate due to the use of fossil fuels as feedstock. Our study develops a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of bioethylene production, exploring 33 pathways across Brazil, the EU, and the US. It aims to understand whether substituting fossil-based ethylene with bioethylene contributes to lowering carbon emissions, and in which of the relevant bioenergy-producing regions/countries the valorisation of biofuels as feedstocks would provide a less carbon-intensive bioethylene production. Results indicate that bioethylene production through catalytic dehydration of sugarcane bioethanol in Brazil presents lowest GHG emission. This pathway could deliver up to −2.1 kg CO2e/kg ethylene when accounting for biogenic carbon storage in long-lived applications such as infrastructure. In contrast, beef tallow performs the poorest as a raw material, regardless of whether land-use change (LUC) emissions are considered. When biogenic carbon storage is factored out, none of the pathways outperforms conventional fossil-based steam cracking; however, some are within the fossil-based range indicating potential indirect benefits through reduced refinery utilisation. Our study underscores that biomaterials production as a climate mitigation strategy must be on par with circular economy measures and the conservation of native forestry ecosystems. These results are particularly relevant to policymakers and industries seeking to align polymer manufacturing with sustainability objectives.publishersversionpublishe

Sustainable aviation fuels must control induced land use change: an integrated assessment modelling exercise for Brazil

Bio-sustainable aviation fuels (bio-SAFs) are an important pillar of the aviation sector decarbonisation strategy in the mid-term. Here we assess the induced Land-Use Change (LUC) implications of producing bio-SAFs in Brazil under different assumptions of forest conservation governance. We evaluate four bio-SAF routes via two main pathways: the Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) and the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) syntheses. We chose the most promising agriculture-based feedstocks to produce bio-SAFs in all five macro-regions of Brazil, including sugarcane and maize ethanol to jet and palm and macaw HEFA routes. To this end, we calculated future projections of air transport demand in Brazil and used the Brazilian Land Use and Energy Systems integrated assessment model to estimate LUC greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within five different levels of bio-SAF blends (10% to 50% of total aviation fuel demand) for each bio-SAFs evaluated. Estimated cumulated emissions vary widely, ranging from a carbon sequestration of −286.8 gCO2e.MJ−1 for a 10% blend of maize ATJ under a controlled deforestation scenario to a release of 15.0 gCO2e.MJ−1 for a 40% blend of high productivity macaw oil HEFA considering historical deforestation rates in the country. Results are highly sensitive to deforestation rate parameters, volume of bio-SAFs produced, the type of feedstock used, and methodological assumptions. Negative LUC GHG emissions were found under controlled deforestation assumptions and in low blends of bio-SAFs for maize and sugarcane ATJ routes. Under historical deforestation rates, the LUC GHG emissions are higher. Bio-SAF can be beneficial to reduce GHG emissions if effective land conservation policies are implemented. Therefore, large-scale bio-SAF production from sugar crops in Brazil may play an important role in the decarbonisation of the aviation sector if coupled with successful strategies to control deforestation. Additionally, when imposing bio-SAF demand, other biofuels demand reduces under the model optimal solution due to land restrictions

Unpacking bio-based alternatives to ethylene production in Brazil, Europe, and the United States: A comparative life cycle assessment

Plastics account for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are hard-to-abate due to the use of fossil fuels as feedstock. Our study develops a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of bioethylene production, exploring 33 pathways across Brazil, the EU, and the US. It aims to understand whether substituting fossil-based ethylene with bioethylene contributes to lowering carbon emissions, and in which of the relevant bioenergy-producing regions/countries the valorisation of biofuels as feedstocks would provide a less carbon-intensive bioethylene production. Results indicate that bioethylene production through catalytic dehydration of sugarcane bioethanol in Brazil presents lowest GHG emission. This pathway could deliver up to −2.1 kg CO2e/kg ethylene when accounting for biogenic carbon storage in long-lived applications such as infrastructure. In contrast, beef tallow performs the poorest as a raw material, regardless of whether land-use change (LUC) emissions are considered. When biogenic carbon storage is factored out, none of the pathways outperforms conventional fossil-based steam cracking; however, some are within the fossil-based range indicating potential indirect benefits through reduced refinery utilisation. Our study underscores that biomaterials production as a climate mitigation strategy must be on par with circular economy measures and the conservation of native forestry ecosystems. These results are particularly relevant to policymakers and industries seeking to align polymer manufacturing with sustainability objectives

ANÁLISE DO PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO DE PACIENTES INTERNADAS POR CÂNCER DE COLO UTERINO NO BRASIL ENTRE 2019 A 2024

Brazil still faces high incidence and mortality from cervical cancer, with an estimated risk of 12.6 per 100 thousand women in 2020. Despite the high coverage estimated in national surveys, such as 78.8% in the country and 80% in capitals, incidence and mortality rates remain high compared to other countries, especially between 30 and 50 years old, mainly attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, including subtypes 16 and 18 responsible for 70% of cases. Women with less education, limited family income, living in the Northeast and in areas with lower population density are more likely to not take the exam. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to analyze the epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized for cervical cancer in Brazil, between 2019 and 2023.O Brasil ainda enfrenta alta incidência e mortalidade pelo câncer de colo de útero, com um risco estimado de 12,6 por 100 mil mulheres em 2020. Apesar das altas coberturas estimadas nos inquéritos nacionais, como 78,8% no país e 80% nas capitais, as taxas de incidência e mortalidade permanecem elevadas comparativamente a outros países, especialmente entre 30 e 50 anos, atribuídas principalmente à infecção pelo papilomavírus humano (HPV), incluindo os subtipos 16 e 18 responsáveis por 70% dos casos. Mulheres com menor escolaridade, renda familiar limitada, residentes no Nordeste e em áreas de menor densidade populacional têm maior probabilidade de não realizar o exame. Dessa maneira, o objetivo do presente estudo é analisar o perfil epidemiológico de pacientes internadas por câncer de colo uterino no Brasil, entre 2019 a 2023

Multidifferential study of identified charged hadron distributions in ZZ-tagged jets in proton-proton collisions at s=\sqrt{s}=13 TeV

Jet fragmentation functions are measured for the first time in proton-proton collisions for charged pions, kaons, and protons within jets recoiling against a $Z$ boson. The charged-hadron distributions are studied longitudinally and transversely to the jet direction for jets with transverse momentum 20 $< p_{\textrm{T}} < 100$ GeV and in the pseudorapidity range $2.5 < \eta < 4$. The data sample was collected with the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.64 fb$^{-1}$. Triple differential distributions as a function of the hadron longitudinal momentum fraction, hadron transverse momentum, and jet transverse momentum are also measured for the first time. This helps constrain transverse-momentum-dependent fragmentation functions. Differences in the shapes and magnitudes of the measured distributions for the different hadron species provide insights into the hadronization process for jets predominantly initiated by light quarks.Comment: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-013.html (LHCb public pages

Study of the B−→Λc+Λˉc−K−B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-} decay

The decay $B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-}$ is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. In the $\Lambda_{c}^+ K^{-}$ system, the $\Xi_{c}(2930)^{0}$ state observed at the BaBar and Belle experiments is resolved into two narrower states, $\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}$ and $\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}$, whose masses and widths are measured to be $$m(\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}) = 2924.5 \pm 0.4 \pm 1.1 \,\mathrm{MeV}, \\ m(\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}) = 2938.5 \pm 0.9 \pm 2.3 \,\mathrm{MeV}, \\ \Gamma(\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}) = \phantom{000}4.8 \pm 0.9 \pm 1.5 \,\mathrm{MeV},\\ \Gamma(\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}) = \phantom{00}11.0 \pm 1.9 \pm 7.5 \,\mathrm{MeV},$$ where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The results are consistent with a previous LHCb measurement using a prompt $\Lambda_{c}^{+} K^{-}$ sample. Evidence of a new $\Xi_{c}(2880)^{0}$ state is found with a local significance of $3.8\,\sigma$, whose mass and width are measured to be $2881.8 \pm 3.1 \pm 8.5\,\mathrm{MeV}$ and $12.4 \pm 5.3 \pm 5.8 \,\mathrm{MeV}$, respectively. In addition, evidence of a new decay mode $\Xi_{c}(2790)^{0} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} K^{-}$ is found with a significance of $3.7\,\sigma$. The relative branching fraction of $B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-}$ with respect to the $B^{-} \to D^{+} D^{-} K^{-}$ decay is measured to be $2.36 \pm 0.11 \pm 0.22 \pm 0.25$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third originates from the branching fractions of charm hadron decays.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-028.html (LHCb public pages

Measurement of the ratios of branching fractions R(D∗)\mathcal{R}(D^{*}) and R(D0)\mathcal{R}(D^{0})

The ratios of branching fractions $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})\equiv\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})\equiv\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ are measured, assuming isospin symmetry, using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb${ }^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode $\tau^{-}\to\mu^{-}\nu_{\tau}\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$. The measured values are $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})=0.281\pm0.018\pm0.024$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})=0.441\pm0.060\pm0.066$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The correlation between these measurements is $\rho=-0.43$. Results are consistent with the current average of these quantities and are at a combined 1.9 standard deviations from the predictions based on lepton flavor universality in the Standard Model.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-039.html (LHCb public pages

A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.Keywords: Social–ecological systems, Tropical forests, Land use, Interdisciplinary research, Sustainability, Trade-off