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Extreme weather events (EWEs; for example, heatwaves, cold spells, storms, floods and droughts) and non-native species invasions are two major threats to global biodiversity and are increasing in both frequency and consequences. Here we synthesize 443 studies and apply multilevel mixed-effects metaregression analyses to compare the responses of 187 non-native and 1,852 native animal species across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems to different types of EWE. Our results show that marine animals, regardless of whether they are non-native or native, are overall insensitive to EWEs, except for negative effects of heatwaves on native mollusks, corals and anemone. By contrast, terrestrial and freshwater non-native animals are only adversely affected by heatwaves and storms, respectively, whereas native animals negatively respond to heatwaves, cold spells and droughts in terrestrial ecosystems and are vulnerable to most EWEs except cold spells in freshwater ecosystems. On average, non-native animals displayed low abundance in terrestrial ecosystems, and decreased body condition and life history traits in freshwater ecosystems, whereas native animals displayed declines in body condition, life history traits, abundance, distribution and recovery in terrestrial ecosystems, and community structure in freshwater ecosystems. By identifying areas with high overlap between EWEs and EWE-tolerant non-native species, we also provide locations where native biodiversity might be adversely affected by their joint effects and where EWEs might facilitate the establishment and/or spread of non-native species under continuing global change. 

Abstract Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases are accelerating at an unprecedented rate in the current era of globalization, with substantial impacts on the global economy, public health, and sustainability. Alien species invasions have been hypothesized to be important to zoonotic diseases by introducing both existing and novel pathogens to invaded ranges. However, few studies have evaluated the generality of alien species facilitating zoonoses across multiple host and parasite taxa worldwide. Here, we simultaneously quantify the role of 795 established alien hosts on the 10,473 zoonosis events across the globe since the 14 th century. We observe an average of ~5.9 zoonoses per alien zoonotic host. After accounting for species-, disease-, and geographic-level sampling biases, spatial autocorrelation, and the lack of independence of zoonosis events, we find that the number of zoonosis events increase with the richness of alien zoonotic hosts, both across space and through time. We also detect positive associations between the number of zoonosis events per unit space and climate change, land-use change, biodiversity loss, human population density, and PubMed citations. These findings suggest that alien host introductions have likely contributed to zoonosis emergences throughout recent history and that minimizing future zoonotic host species introductions could have global health benefits. 

Abstract It is very attractive yet underexplored to synthesize heterocyclic moieties pertaining to biologically active molecules from biomass-based starting compounds. Herein, we report an electrocatalytic Achmatowicz reaction for the synthesis of hydropyranones from furfuryl alcohols, which can be readily produced from biomass-derived and industrially available furfural. Taking advantage of photo-induced polymerization of a bipyridyl ligand, we demonstrate the facile preparation of a heterogenized nickel electrocatalyst, which effectively drives the Achmatowicz reaction electrochemically. A suite of characterization techniques and density functional theory computations were performed to aid the understanding of the reaction mechanism. It is rationalized that the unsaturated coordination sphere of nickel sites in our electrocatalyst plays an important role at low applied potential, not only allowing the intimate interaction between the nickel center and furfuryl alcohol but also enabling the transfer of hydroxide from nickel to the bound furfuryl alcohol. 

Blood is an attractive carrier for plasmid and RNA based medicine in cell therapy. Electroporation serves as its favorable delivery tool for simple operation, quick internalization, minimum cell culture involvement, and low contamination risk. However, the delivery outcomes of electroporation heavily depend on the treated cells such as their type, size, and orientation to the electric field, not ideal for highly heterogeneous blood samples. Herein a new electroporation system was developed towards effective transfection to cells in blood regardless their large diversity. By coupling replica molding and infiltration coating processes, we successfully configured a three-dimensional electrode comprised of a polymer micropillar array on which carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are partially embedded. During electroporation, cells sag between micropillars and deform to form conformal contact with their top and side surface. The implanted CNTs not only provide a robust conductive coating for the polymer micropattern, but also have their protruded ends face the cell membrane vertically everywhere with maximum transmembrane potential. Regardless their largely varied sizes and random dispersion, both individual blood cell type and whole blood samples were effectively transfected with plasmid DNA (85% after 24 hrs and 95% after 72 hrs, or 2.5-3.0 folds enhancement). High-dose RNA probes were also introduced which regulate better the expression levels of exogenous and endogenous genes in blood cells. Besides its promising performance on non-viral delivery route to cell-related studies and therapy, the invovled new fabrication method also provides a convenient and effective way to construct flexible electronics with stable micro/nanofeatures on the surface. 

Direct electrochemical halogenation has appeared as an appealing approach in synthesizing organic halides in which inexpensive inorganic halide sources are employed and electrical power is the sole driving force. However, the intrinsic characteristics of direct electrochemical halogenation limit its reaction scope. Herein, we report an on-site halogenation strategy utilizing halogen gas produced from halide electrolysis while the halogenation reaction takes place in a reactor spatially isolated from the electrochemical cell. Such a flexible approach is able to successfully halogenate substrates bearing oxidatively labile functionalities, which are challenging for direct electrochemical halogenation. In addition, low-polar organic solvents, redox-active metal catalysts, and variable temperature conditions, inconvenient for direct electrochemical reactions, could be readily employed for our on-site halogenation. Hence, a wide range of substrates including arenes, heteroarenes, alkenes, alkynes, and ketones all exhibit excellent halogenation yields. Moreover, the simultaneously generated H 2 at the cathode during halide electrolysis can also be utilized for on-site hydrogenation. Such a strategy of paired halogenation/hydrogenation maximizes the atom economy and energy efficiency of halide electrolysis. Taking advantage of the on-site production of halogen and H 2 gases using portable halide electrolysis but not being suffered from electrolyte separation and restricted reaction conditions, our approach of flexible halogenation coupled with hydrogenation enables green and scalable synthesis of organic halides and value-added products. 

The increasing demand for green chemical products calls for the exploration of sustainable and renewable carbon resources beyond fossil-based materials, whose utilization inevitably results in environmental concerns. As such, biomass valorisation has attracted increasing attention because biomass is the most widely available and sustainable carbon source. Among the available biomass-derived platform chemicals, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has long been regarded as an attractive candidate for the production of numerous value-added products. Nevertheless, the poor stability, and difficult separation and purification of HMF from fructose dehydration significantly inhibit its large-scale application. Herein, we report a two-step process for the direct production of two biopolymer precursors, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF), from fructose, bypassing the isolation of HMF. FDCA and BHMF are much easier to separate and purify from the reaction mixture than HMF, and they both can replace petroleum-based counterparts in the syntheses of many industrially important polymers, ranging from polyesters to polyamides. Optimized fructose dehydration under microwave irradiation achieved a high HMF yield (83%) using a biphasic strategy. The subsequent electrocatalytic conversion of the resulting microwave reaction mixture allowed us to carry out either oxidation or reduction via readily tuning the electrochemical parameters to yield FDCA or BHMF, respectively. The integration of microwave irradiation and electrocatalysis in a flow electrolyzer enabled the direct conversion of readily available fructose to highly valuable FDCA and BHMF without the expensive and challenging step of HMF isolation, suggesting an economically attractive approach for upgrading carbohydrates. 

In this paper, we present a new locomotion control method for soft robot snakes. Inspired by biological snakes, our control architecture is composed of two key modules: A reinforcement learning (RL) module for achieving adaptive goal-tracking behaviors with changing goals, and a central pattern generator (CPG) system with Matsuoka oscillators for generating stable and diverse locomotion patterns. The two modules are interconnected into a closed-loop system: The RL module, analogizing the locomotion region located in the midbrain of vertebrate animals, regulates the input to the CPG system given state feedback from the robot. The output of the CPG system is then translated into pressure inputs to the pneumatic actuators of the soft snake robot. Based on the fact that the oscillation frequency and wave amplitude of the Matsuoka oscillator can be independently controlled under different time scales, we further adapt the option-critic framework to improve the learning performance measured by optimality and data efficiency. The performance of the proposed controller is experimentally validated with both simulated and real soft snake robots. 

Abstract Understanding how alien species assemble is crucial for predicting changes to community structure caused by biological invasions and for directing management strategies for alien species, but patterns and drivers of alien species assemblages remain poorly understood relative to native species. Climate has been suggested as a crucial filter of invasion-driven homogenization of biodiversity. However, it remains unclear which climatic factors drive the assemblage of alien species. Here, we compiled global data at both grid scale (2,653 native and 2,806 current grids with a resolution of 2° × 2°) and administrative scale (271 native and 297 current nations and sub-nations) on the distributions of 361 alien amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna), the most threatened vertebrate group on the planet. We found that geographical distance, a proxy for natural dispersal barriers, was the dominant variable contributing to alien herpetofaunal assemblage in native ranges. In contrast, climatic factors explained more unique variation in alien herpetofaunal assemblage after than before invasions. This pattern was driven by extremely high temperatures and precipitation seasonality, 2 hallmarks of global climate change, and bilateral trade which can account for the alien assemblage after invasions. Our results indicated that human-assisted species introductions combined with climate change may accelerate the reorganization of global species distributions. 

A robust method to estimate mineral dust mass in ambient particulate matter (PM) is essential, as the dust fraction cannot be directly measured but is needed to understand dust impacts on the environment and human health. In this study, a global‐scale dust equation is developed that builds on the widely used Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network's “soil” formula that is based on five measured elements (Al, Si, Ca, Fe, and Ti). We incorporate K, Mg, and Na into the equation using the mineral‐to‐aluminum (MAL) mass ratio of (K₂O + MgO + Na₂O)/Al₂O₃and apply a correction factor (CF) to account for other missing compounds. We obtain region‐specific MAL ratios and CFs by investigating the variation in dust composition across desert regions. To calculate reference dust mass for equation evaluation, we use total‐mineral‐mass (summing all oxides of crustal elements) and residual‐mass (subtracting non‐dust species from total PM) approaches. For desert dust in source regions, the normalized mean bias (NMB) of the global equation (within ±1%) is significantly smaller than the NMB of the IMPROVE equation (−6% to 10%). For PM_2.5with high dust content measured by the IMPROVE network, the global equation estimates dust mass well (NMB within ±5%) at most sites. For desert dust transported to non‐source regions, the global equation still performs well (NMB within ±2%). The global equation can also represent paved road, unpaved road, and agricultural soil dust (NMB within ±5%). This global equation provides a promising approach for calculating dust mass based on elemental analysis of dust.