Haijing Liu

Citizen participation in local public meetings is crucial for planning decision-making processes. This study employed large language models (LLMs), specifically ChatGPT models, to analyze more than 4,000 transcripts of local planning public meetings in the United States between 2006 and 2023. We quantify citizen participation levels and explore their relationship with public meeting topics. Findings align with previous scholarship that local public meetings do not consistently result in citizen empowerment. We also identify actionable strategies—such as fostering solution-oriented discussions and increasing civic organization involvement—that can enhance participatory planning. These insights suggest data-driven approaches for inclusive and equitable planning processes.

Building up a workforce that is properly trained and adequately sized is essential to ensuring that the deployment of energy generation sources in the United States meets future energy demand. Workforce development to support supply chain or large infrastructure investments typically occurs at a local level. However, there is a critical gap in understanding where and to what extent regional workforces are equipped to meet the needs of an energy industry. The Workforce Readiness Index ("the index") was developed to assess and compare energy sector workforce readiness across the United States at the county level to provide granular information to various stakeholders such as industry members, state decision makers, and training program developers. Workforce readiness is defined as the ability to recruit from the general labor market, transition workers with comparable skill sets, and train a workforce using scalable or existing training programs near a specific location. Therefore, the index evaluates readiness levels based on the likelihood that a county possesses the workforce development infrastructure needed to support the occupations required by an energy-related industry or sector. Furthermore, the index offers a standardized yet flexible approach that captures regional variations and highlights local strengths and challenges.

Improving the initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of silicon anodes in lithium-ion batteries is a key challenge for enhancing their performance. Traditional prelithiation methods, such as using lithium naphthalenide (Li-Naph), are limited by the low lithiation potential of crystalline silicon, making them less effective for commercial applications. This study demonstrates that amorphous silicon anodes, with a higher lithiation potential, can be effectively prelithiated using Li-Naph. This prelithiation process also forms a robust solid electrolyte interphase, which significantly enhances the anode's cycling stability and overall battery performance. The prelithiated silicon anodes achieved a remarkable ICE improvement from 74.8% to 97.2% in full-cell tests. Furthermore, 27 mAh pouch cells exhibited excellent long-cycle stability and low-temperature performance, retaining 90.1% of their capacity after 800 cycles at 1 C. These findings highlight the potential for scalable prelithiation methods and open new avenues for advancing silicon anode technology in next-generation batteries.

Concerning China’s growth in biotechnology, the research on biotech start-ups in China yields significant implications. However, studies have not given enough attention to hospitals, which are critical players in the biotech industry. Because of the hospital-centric healthcare system, public tertiary hospitals in China are important partners for biotech start-ups. This study investigates the geographical relationship between public tertiary hospitals and biotech start-ups in Chinese cities. The findings suggest evidence of collocation, which reflects their alliances. This research thereby contributes to the existing knowledge of the biotech industry by integrating the healthcare system into the location of biotech firms.