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Hydrophobic interactions are involved in and believed to be the fundamental driving force of many chemical and biological phenomena in aqueous environments. This review focuses on our current understanding on hydrophobic effects. As a solute is embedded into water, the interface appears between solute and water, which mainly affects the structure of interfacial water (the topmost water layer at the solute/water interface). From our recent structural studies on water and air-water interface, hydration free energy is derived and utilized to investigate the origin of hydrophobic interactions. It is found that hydration free energy depends on the size of solute. With increasing the solute size, it is reasonably divided into initial and hydrophobic solvation processes, and various dissolved behaviors of the solutes are expected in different solvation processes, such as dispersed and accumulated distributions in solutions. Regarding the origin of hydrophobic effects, it is ascribed to the structural competition between the hydrogen bondings of interfacial and bulk water. This can be applied to understand the characteristics of hydrophobic interactions, such as the dependence of hydrophobic interactions on solute size (or concentrations), the directional natures of hydrophobic interactions, and temperature effects on hydrophobic interactions.

Understanding the predictability limit of day-to-day weather phenomena such as midlatitude winter storms and summer monsoonal rainstorms is crucial to numerical weather prediction (NWP). This predictability limit is studied using unprecedented high-resolution global models with ensemble experiments of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF; 9-km operational model) and identical-twin experiments of the U.S. Next-Generation Global Prediction System (NGGPS; 3 km). Results suggest that the predictability limit for midlatitude weather may indeed exist and is intrinsic to the underlying dynamical system and instabilities even if the forecast model and the initial conditions are nearly perfect. Currently, a skillful forecast lead time of midlatitude instantaneous weather is around 10 days, which serves as the practical predictability limit. Reducing the current-day initial-condition uncertainty by an order of magnitude extends the deterministic forecast lead times of day-to-day weather by up to 5 days, with much less scope for improving prediction of small-scale phenomena like thunderstorms. Achieving this additional predictability limit can have enormous socioeconomic benefits but requires coordinated efforts by the entire community to design better numerical weather models, to improve observations, and to make better use of observations with advanced data assimilation and computing techniques.

Cuproptosis induction represents a promising alternative for immunotherapies and targeted therapies in breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic and biological significance of cuproptosis-related genes in breast cancer. In the current study, we examined the transcriptional and clinical data of 13 cuproptosis-related genes in patients with breast cancer from TCGA database. We found that genes DLAT, SLC31A1, ATP7A and ATP7B were significantly related to the overall survival (OS) of breast cancer patients in univariate Cox regression analysis. Unlike lung or kidney cancers, SLC31A1 expression was upregulated in breast cancer samples compared with normal tissues, and predicted poor prognosis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that high SLC31A1 level was an independent prognostic factor for shorter OS. A nomogram integrating SLC31A1, age, T-, N-stage and clinical stage was constructed, and the calibration curves of the 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-year OS fitted well with the ideal model. Furthermore, we found that high SLC31A1 expression was related to deregulated immune response and metabolic pathways. Low SLC31A1 level predicted sensitivity to CTLA4 inhibitors but poor response to paclitaxel. Our study may provide novel insights for copper homeostasis and cuproptosis in breast cancer.

Topological state of matter and lithium batteries are currently two hot topics in science and technology. Here we combine these two by exploring the possibility of using all-carbon-based porous topological semimetal for lithium battery anode material. Based on density-functional theory and the cluster-expansion method, we find that the recently identified topological semimetal bco-C16 is a promising anode material with higher specific capacity (Li-C₄) than that of the commonly used graphite anode (Li-C₆), and Li ions in bco-C16 exhibit a remarkable one-dimensional (1D) migration feature, and the ion diffusion channels are robust against the compressive and tensile strains during charging/discharging. Moreover, the energy barrier decreases with increasing Li insertion and can reach 0.019 eV at high Li ion concentration; the average voltage is as low as 0.23 V, and the volume change during the operation is comparable to that of graphite. These intriguing theoretical findings would stimulate experimental work on topological carbon materials.

Shenfu Dongsheng coal field is a cross-century energy base which is developed and constructed in China. In recent years, some mines have successively entered to the coal seam of the second layer. Due to the reasons of early mining, many coal pillars are left in the coal seam of the first layer, resulting in the phenomenon of strong ore pressure in the mining range before and after the coal pillar in the lower coal seam and even causing the buckling accident. In order to solve such safety problems, this paper takes the 22,307 working face in Bulianta coal mine as the research object, adopts physical similarity simulation experiment and theoretical analysis to systematically study the overlying rock characteristics and abnormal ore pressure manifestation mechanism of shallow and close coal seam in different working stages. The results show that the roof overburden of the key layer in the lower group bends and sinks when the coal pillar is mined, resulting in the activation and instability of the “masonry beam” structure formed by the roof of the upper coal seam. When the coal pillar is discharged, the residual concentrated coal pillar and the room type coal pillar are unstable under the action of high supporting stress, resulting in shear failure of the inter-layer rock in the upper part of 22,307 working face, causing the strong dynamic pressure of the working face to appear and then leading to the buckling accident. The working resistance of the support in each stage is obtained by establishing the structure diagram of the overlying rock under each stage and the corresponding mechanical structure model. Finally, the working resistance required by the support in the mining stage under the goaf is 16,692.6 kN, the working resistance required by the support in the coal pillar stage is 19,692.6 kN, the working resistance required by the support in the mining stage under the concentrated coal pillar is 13,150.6 kN, and the working resistance required by the support in the coal pillar stage is 19,215.6 kN.

Methanol is regarded as an important liquid fuel for hydrogen storage, transportation, and in-situ generation due to its convenient conveyance, high energy density, and low conversion temperature. In this work, an overview of state-of-the-art investigations on methanol reforming is critically summarized, including the detailed introduction of methanol conversion pathways from the perspective of fuel cell applications, various advanced materials design for catalytic methanol conversion, as well as the development of steam methanol reformers. For the section of utilization pathways, reactions such as steam reforming of methanol, partial oxidation of methanol, oxidative steam reforming of methanol, and sorption-enhanced steam methanol reforming were elaborated; For the catalyst section, the strategies to enhance the catalytic activity and other comprehensive performances were summarized; For the reactor section, the newly designed steam methanol reformers were thoroughly described. This review will benefit researchers from both fundamental research and fuel cell applications in the field of catalyzing methanol to hydrogen.

Limits of intrinsic versus practical predictability are studied through examining multiscale error growth dynamics in idealized baroclinic waves with varying degrees of convective instabilities. In the dry experiment free of moist convection, error growth is controlled primarily by baroclinic instability under which forecast accuracy is inversely proportional to the amplitude of the baroclinically unstable initial-condition error (thus the prediction can be continuously improved without limit through reducing the initial error). Under the moist environment with strong convective instability, rapid upscale growth from moist convection leads to the forecast error being increasingly less sensitive to the scale and amplitude of the initial perturbations when the initial-error amplitude is getting smaller; these diminishing returns may ultimately impose a finite-time barrier to the forecast accuracy (limit of intrinsic predictability and the so-called \"butterfly effect\"). However, if the initial perturbation is sufficiently large in scale and amplitude (as for most current-day operational models), the baroclinic growth of large-scale finite-amplitude initial error will control the forecast accuracy for both dry and moist baroclinic waves; forecast accuracy can be improved (thus the limit of practical predictability can be extended) through the reduction of initial-condition errors, especially those at larger scales. Regardless of the initial-perturbation scales and amplitude, the error spectrum will adjust toward the slope of the background flow. Inclusion of strong moist convection changes the mesoscale kinetic energy spectrum slope from -3 to ~-5/3. This change further highlights the importance of convection and the relevance of the butterfly effect to both the intrinsic and practical limits of atmospheric predictability, especially at meso- and convective scales.

The long-term physical and mental sequelae of COVID-19 are a growing public health concern, yet there is considerable uncertainty about their prevalence, persistence and predictors. We conducted a comprehensive, up-to-date meta-analysis of survivors’ health consequences and sequelae for COVID-19. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched through Sep 30th, 2021. Observational studies that reported the prevalence of sequelae of COVID-19 were included. Two reviewers independently undertook the data extraction and quality assessment. Of the 36,625 records identified, a total of 151 studies were included involving 1,285,407 participants from thirty-two countries. At least one sequelae symptom occurred in 50.1% (95% CI 45.4-54.8) of COVID-19 survivors for up to 12 months after infection. The most common investigation findings included abnormalities on lung CT (56.9%, 95% CI 46.2–67.3) and abnormal pulmonary function tests (45.6%, 95% CI 36.3–55.0), followed by generalized symptoms, such as fatigue (28.7%, 95% CI 21.0–37.0), psychiatric symptoms (19.7%, 95% CI 16.1–23.6) mainly depression (18.3%, 95% CI 13.3–23.8) and PTSD (17.9%, 95% CI 11.6–25.3), and neurological symptoms (18.7%, 95% CI 16.2–21.4), such as cognitive deficits (19.7%, 95% CI 8.8–33.4) and memory impairment (17.5%, 95% CI 8.1–29.6). Subgroup analysis showed that participants with a higher risk of long-term sequelae were older, mostly male, living in a high-income country, with more severe status at acute infection. Individuals with severe infection suffered more from PTSD, sleep disturbance, cognitive deficits, concentration impairment, and gustatory dysfunction. Survivors with mild infection had high burden of anxiety and memory impairment after recovery. Our findings suggest that after recovery from acute COVID-19, half of survivors still have a high burden of either physical or mental sequelae up to at least 12 months. It is important to provide urgent and appropriate prevention and intervention management to preclude persistent or emerging long-term sequelae and to promote the physical and psychiatric wellbeing of COVID-19 survivors.

In 2009, China launched a major health-care reform and pledged to provide all citizens with equal access to basic health care with reasonable quality and financial risk protection. The government has since quadrupled its funding for health. The reform's first phase (2009–11) emphasised expanding social health insurance coverage for all and strengthening infrastructure. The second phase (2012 onwards) prioritised reforming its health-care delivery system through: (1) systemic reform of public hospitals by removing mark-up for drug sales, adjusting fee schedules, and reforming provider payment and governance structures; and (2) overhaul of its hospital-centric and treatment-based delivery system. In the past 10 years, China has made substantial progress in improving equal access to care and enhancing financial protection, especially for people of a lower socioeconomic status. However, gaps remain in quality of care, control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), efficiency in delivery, control of health expenditures, and public satisfaction. To meet the needs of China's ageing population that is facing an increased NCD burden, we recommend leveraging strategic purchasing, information technology, and local pilots to build a primary health-care (PHC)-based integrated delivery system by aligning the incentives and governance of hospitals and PHC systems, improving the quality of PHC providers, and educating the public on the value of prevention and health maintenance.

This study investigates the October and November MJO events observed during the Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in the Year 2011 (CINDY)/Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign through cloud-permitting numerical simulations. The simulations are compared to multiple observational datasets. The control simulation at 9-km horizontal grid spacing captures the slow eastward progression of both the October and November MJO events in surface precipitation, outgoing longwave radiation, zonal wind, humidity, and large-scale vertical motion. The vertical motion shows weak ascent in the leading edge of the MJO envelope, followed by deep ascent during the peak precipitation stage and trailed by a broad second baroclinic mode structure with ascent in the upper troposphere and descent in the lower troposphere. Both the simulation and the observations also show slow northward propagation components and tropical cyclone–like vortices after the passage of the MJO active phase. Comparison with synthesized observations from the northern sounding array shows that the model simulates the passage of the two MJO events over the sounding array region well. Sensitivity experiments to SST indicate that daily SST plays an important role for the November MJO event, but much less so for the October event. Analysis of the moist static energy (MSE) budget shows that both advection and diabatic processes (i.e., surface fluxes and radiation) contribute to the development of the positive MSE anomaly in the active phase, but their contributions differ by how much they lead the precipitation peak. In comparison to the observational datasets used here, the model simulation may have a stronger surface flux feedback and a weaker radiative feedback. The normalized gross moist stability in the simulations shows an increase from near-zero values to ∼0.8 during the active phase, similar to what is found in the observational datasets.