High-Energy LiNiO Li Metal Batteries Enabled by Hybrid Electrolyte Consisting of Ionic Liquid and Weakly Solvating Fluorinated Ether.

In pursuit of the highest possible energy density, researchers shift their focus to the ultimate anode material, lithium metal (Li), and high-capacity cathode materials with high nickel content (Ni > 80%). The combination of these aggressive electrodes presents unprecedented challenges to the electrolyte. Here, we report a hybrid electrolyte consisting of a highly fluorinated ionic liquid and a weakly solvating fluorinated ether, whose hybridization structure enables the reversible operation of a battery chemistry based on Li and LiNiO (Ni = 100%), delivering nearly theoretical capacity of the latter (up to 249 mAh g) for >300 cycles with retention of 78.

Warmer temperatures trigger insecticide-associated pest outbreaks.

Background: Rising global temperatures are associated with emerging insect pests, reflecting earlier and longer insect activity, faster development, more generations per year and changing species' ranges. Insecticides are often the first tools available to manage these new threats. In the southeastern US, sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) has recently become the major threat to vegetable production.

Intravital Microscopy Reveals Unforeseen Biodistribution Within the Liver and Kidney Mechanistically Connected to the Clearance of a Bifunctional Antibody.

Bifunctional antibody (BfAb) therapeutics offer the potential for novel functionalities beyond those of the individual monospecific entities. However, combining these entities into a single molecule can have unpredictable effects, including changes in pharmacokinetics that limit the compound's therapeutic profile. A better understanding of how molecular modifications affect in vivo tissue interactions could help inform BfAb design.

The role of timing in intraspecific trait ecology.

Intraspecific trait variation has tremendous importance for species interactions and community composition. A major source of intraspecific trait variation is an organism's developmental stage; however, timing is rarely considered in studies of the ecological effects of intraspecific variation. Here, we examine the role of time in the ecology of intraspecific trait variation, focusing on plants and their interactions with other organisms.

Latitudinal resource gradient shapes multivariate defense strategies in a long-lived shrub.

Plant defense against herbivores is multidimensional, and investment into different defense traits is intertwined due to genetic, physiological, and ecological costs. This relationship is expected to generate a trade-off between direct defense and tolerance that is underlain by resource availability, with increasing resources being associated with increased investment in tolerance and decreased investment in direct resistance. We tested these predictions across populations of the shrub Artemisia californica by growing plants sourced from a latitudinal aridity gradient within common gardens located at the southern (xeric) and northern (mesic) portions of its distribution.

LT-LiMnNiO: a unique co-free cathode for high energy Li-ion cells.

A novel LiMnNiO cathode with a predominant, partially-disordered lithiated-spinel structure has been prepared by a 'low temperature' (LT) synthesis. Li/LT-LiMnNiO cells operate between 5.0 and 2.

Climatic displacement exacerbates the negative impact of drought on plant performance and associated arthropod abundance.

Climate change is acting on species and modifying communities and ecosystems through changes not only with respect to mean abiotic conditions, but also through increases in the frequency and severity of extreme events. Changes in mean aridity associated with climate change can generate ecotype by environment mismatch (i.e.

Strain-driven surface reconstruction and cation segregation in layered Li(NiMnCo)O (NMC) cathode materials.

The composition, structure and phase transformations occurring on cathode surfaces greatly affect the performance of Li-ion batteries. Li-Ion diffusion and surface-electrolyte interaction are two major phenomena that impact the capacity and cell impedance. The effects of surface reconstruction (SR) of cathode materials on the performance of Li-ion batteries are of current interest.

Revealing Grain-Boundary-Induced Degradation Mechanisms in Li-Rich Cathode Materials.

Despite their high energy densities, Li- and Mn-rich, layered-layered, LiMnO·(1 - )LiTMO (TM = Ni, Mn, Co) (LMR-NMC) cathodes require further development in order to overcome issues related to bulk and surface instabilities such as Mn dissolution, impedance rise, and voltage fade. One promising strategy to modify LMR-NMC properties has been the incorporation of spinel-type, local domains to create "layered-layered-spinel" cathodes. However, precise control of local structure and composition, as well as subsequent characterization of such materials, is challenging and elucidating structure-property relationships is not trivial.

Modulation of the Biophysical Properties of Bifunctional Antibodies as a Strategy for Mitigating Poor Pharmacokinetics.

Interest in the development of bi- or multispecific antibody (BsAbs)-based biotherapeutics is growing rapidly due to their inherent ability to interact with many targets simultaneously, thereby potentially protracting their functionality relative to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Biophysical property assays have been used to improve the probability of clinical success for various mAb therapeutics; however, there is a paucity of such data for BsAbs. This work evaluates a fusion of an IgG with an isolated protein domain (deemed ECD) and serves to understand how molecular architecture influences biophysical and biochemical properties and, in turn, how these relate to drug disposition.

First-Principles Study of Lithium Cobalt Spinel Oxides: Correlating Structure and Electrochemistry.

Embedding a lithiated cobalt oxide spinel (LiCoO, or LiCoO) component or a nickel-substituted LiCoNi O analogue in structurally integrated cathodes such as xLiMnO·(1- x)LiM'O (M' = Ni/Co/Mn) has been recently proposed as an approach to advance the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Here, we first revisit the phase stability and electrochemical performance of LiCoO synthesized at different temperatures using density functional theory calculations. Consistent with previous studies, we find that the occurrence of low- and high-temperature structures (i.

Relative effects of genetic variation sensu lato and sexual dimorphism on plant traits and associated arthropod communities.

Intraspecific plant trait variation can have cascading effects on plant-associated biotic communities. Sexual dimorphism is an important axis of genetic variation in dioecious plants, but the strength of such effects and the underlying mechanisms relative to genetic variation are unknown. We established a common garden with 39 genotypes of Baccharis salicifolia sampled from a single population that included male and female genotypes and measured plant traits and quantified associated arthropod communities.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Al-W-Fluoride on LiCoO Cathodes: Comparison of Particle- and Electrode-Level Coatings.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of the well-known AlO on a LiCoO system is compared with that of a newly developed AlW F material. ALD coatings (∼1 nm thick) of both materials are shown to be effective in improving cycle life through mitigation of surface-induced capacity losses. However, the behaviors of AlO and AlW F are shown to be significantly different when coated directly on cathode particles versus deposition on a composite electrode composed of active materials, carbons, and binders.

Exploring Lithium-Cobalt-Nickel Oxide Spinel Electrodes for ≥3.5 V Li-Ion Cells.

Recent reports have indicated that a manganese oxide spinel component, when embedded in a relatively small concentration in layered xLiMnO·(1-x)LiMO (M = Ni, Mn, or Co) electrode systems, can act as a stabilizer that increases their capacity, rate capability, cycle life, and first-cycle efficiency. These findings prompted us to explore the possibility of exploiting lithiated cobalt oxide spinel stabilizers by taking advantage of (1) the low mobility of cobalt ions relative to that of manganese and nickel ions in close-packed oxides and (2) their higher potential (∼3.6 V vs Li) relative to manganese oxide spinels (∼2.

Aberrant bispecific antibody pharmacokinetics linked to liver sinusoidal endothelium clearance mechanism in cynomolgus monkeys.

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) can affect multiple disease pathways, thus these types of constructs potentially provide promising approaches to improve efficacy in complex disease indications. The specific and non-specific clearance mechanisms/biology that affect monoclonal antibody (mAb) pharmacokinetics are likely involved in the disposition of BsAbs. Despite these similarities, there are a paucity of studies on the in vivo biology that influences the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of BsAbs.

Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's "deep dive" effort to understand voltage fade in Li- and Mn-rich cathodes.

The commercial introduction of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery nearly 25 years ago marked a technological turning point. Portable electronics, dependent on energy storage devices, have permeated our world and profoundly affected our daily lives in a way that cannot be understated. Now, at a time when societies and governments alike are acutely aware of the need for advanced energy solutions, the Li-ion battery may again change the way we do business.

Insights into the Impact of Heterogeneous Glycosylation on the Pharmacokinetic Behavior of Follistatin-Fc-Based Biotherapeutics.

Follistatin 315 heparan sulfate-binding deficient mutant human IgG4 Fc fusion (FST-ΔHBS-Fc) is a follistatin (FST) based Fc fusion protein currently being developed as a novel therapy for several potential indications, including muscle wasting. Previous assessments of the pharmacokinetics and therapeutic activity of FST-ΔHBS-Fc have shown a close association of the exposure-response relationship. The current work builds upon these initial studies by investigating the glycosylation characteristics of FST-ΔHBS-Fc after recombinant expression and its impact on the pharmacokinetics in mice and Cynomolgus monkeys.

First-charge instabilities of layered-layered lithium-ion-battery materials.

Li- and Mn-rich layered oxides with composition xLi2MnO3·(1 -x)LiMO2 enable high capacity and energy density Li-ion batteries, but suffer from degradation with cycling. Evidence of atomic instabilities during the first charge are addressed in this work with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, first principles simulation at the GGA+U level, and existing literature. The pristine material of composition xLi2MnO3·(1 -x)LiMn0.

Re-entrant lithium local environments and defect driven electrochemistry of Li- and Mn-rich Li-ion battery cathodes.

Direct observations of structure-electrochemical activity relationships continue to be a key challenge in secondary battery research. (6)Li magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the only structural probe currently available that can quantitatively characterize local lithium environments on the subnanometer scale that dominates the free energy for site occupation in lithium-ion (Li-ion) intercalation materials. In the present study, we use this local probe to gain new insights into the complex electrochemical behavior of activated 0.

Inhibition of activin A ameliorates skeletal muscle injury and rescues contractile properties by inducing efficient remodeling in female mice.

Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, provides pleiotropic regulation of fibrosis and inflammation. We aimed at determining whether selective inhibition of activin A would provide a regenerative benefit. The introduction of activin A into normal muscle increased the expression of inflammatory and muscle atrophy genes Tnf, Tnfrsf12a, Trim63, and Fbxo32 by 3.

Follistatin: a novel therapeutic for the improvement of muscle regeneration.

Follistatin (FST) is a member of the tissue growth factor β family and is a secreted glycoprotein that antagonizes many members of the family, including activin A, growth differentiation factor 11, and myostatin. The objective of this study was to explore the use of an engineered follistatin therapeutic created by fusing FST315 lacking heparin binding activity to the N terminus of a murine IgG1 Fc (FST315-ΔHBS-Fc) as a systemic therapeutic agent in models of muscle injury. Systemic administration of this molecule was found to increase body weight and lean muscle mass after weekly administration in normal mice.

Oxidation state of cross-over manganese species on the graphite electrode of lithium-ion cells.

It is well known that Li-ion cells containing manganese oxide-based positive electrodes and graphite-based negative electrodes suffer accelerated capacity fade, which has been attributed to the deposition of dissolved manganese on the graphite electrodes during electrochemical cell cycling. However, the reasons for the accelerated capacity fade are still unclear. This stems, in part, from conflicting reports of the oxidation state of the manganese species in the negative electrode.

An engineered human follistatin variant: insights into the pharmacokinetic and pharmocodynamic relationships of a novel molecule with broad therapeutic potential.

Human follistatin is a regulatory glycoprotein with widespread biologic functions, including antiinflammatory activities, wound-healing properties, and muscle-stimulating effects. The role of follistatin in a wide range of biologic activities shows promise for potential clinical application, which has prompted considerable interest in the investigation of the protein as a potential disease-modifying agent. In spite of this potential, the development of follistatin as a broad use biotherapeutic has been severely hindered by a poor understanding and characterization of its pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships.