New frontiers in alkali metal insertion into carbon electrodes for energy storage.

With rising interest in new electrodes for next-generation batteries, carbon materials remain as top competitors with their reliable performance, low-cost, low voltage reactions, and diverse tunability. Depending on carbon's structure, it can attain high cyclability as with Li at crystalline graphite or exceptional capacities with Na at amorphous, porous hard carbons. In this review, we discuss key results and research directions using carbon electrodes for alkali ion storage.

Decomposition of dynamic transcriptomic responses during effector-triggered immunity reveals conserved responses in two distinct plant cell populations.

Rapid plant immune responses in the appropriate cells are needed for effective defense against pathogens. Although transcriptome analysis is often used to describe overall immune responses, collection of transcriptome data with sufficient resolution in both space and time is challenging. We reanalyzed public Arabidopsis time-course transcriptome data obtained after low-dose inoculation with a Pseudomonas syringae strain expressing the effector AvrRpt2, which induces effector-triggered immunity in Arabidopsis.

New risk stratification for adjuvant nivolumab for high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma.

Objectives: We aim to evaluate the risk of recurrence after neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy, particularly in ypT2 disease in patients with urothelial carcinoma, because it is not clear if all eligible patients with high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma should be treated with adjuvant nivolumab.

Materials And Methods: We analysed the radiological and clinicopathological features, including cT and ypT stages, of 197 patients who had undergone two to four cycles of cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy without adjuvant chemotherapy. We stratified the risk of postoperative recurrence by these factors.

Electrochemical intercalation of rubidium into graphite, hard carbon, and soft carbon.

The electrochemical insertion of Rb into carbonaceous materials, including graphite, was achieved herein. Rubidium ions were reversibly inserted into and extracted from graphite electrochemical processes using different non-aqueous electrolytes containing rubidium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (RbTFSA) salts in carbonate esters, glymes, and ionic liquids, similar to the process used for other lighter alkali metal ions such as Li and K. The chemical compositions of the rubidiated graphite were determined to be RbC, RbC, and RbC at each step of the electrochemical reduction process.

Case Study: A Japanese patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who achieved long-term treatment-free survival with pembrolizumab and axitinib in the KEYNOTE-426 phase III trial of pembrolizumab and axitinib versus sunitinib.

Introduction: Our patient treated with pembrolizumab and axitinib is one of the longest survivors in Japan on KEYNOTE 426, despite adverse events, including delayed-onset hepatitis. We herein present a detailed clinical course and short discussion on the case.

Case Presentation: This was a 49-year-old male with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and lung metastases.

Na Diffusion in Hard Carbon Studied with Positive Muon Spin Rotation and Relaxation.

The diffusive nature of Na in Na-inserted hard carbon (C Na), which is the most common anode material for a Na-ion battery, was studied with a positive muon spin rotation and relaxation (μSR) technique in transverse, zero, and longitudinal magnetic fields (TF, ZF, and LF) at temperatures between 50 and 375 K, where TF (LF) denotes the applied magnetic field perpendicular (parallel) to the initial muon spin polarization. At temperatures above 150 K, TF-μSR measurements showed a distinct motional narrowing behavior, implying that Na begins to diffuse above 150 K. The presence of two different muon sites in C Na was confirmed with ZF- and LF-μSR measurements; one is in the Na-inserted graphene layer, and the other is in the Na-vacant graphene layer adjacent to the Na-inserted graphene layer.

MgO-Template Synthesis of Extremely High Capacity Hard Carbon for Na-Ion Battery.

Extremely high capacity hard carbon for Na-ion battery, delivering 478 mAh g , is successfully synthesized by heating a freeze-dried mixture of magnesium gluconate and glucose by a MgO-template technique. Influences of synthetic conditions and nano-structures on electrochemical Na storage properties in the hard carbon are systematically studied to maximize the reversible capacity. Nano-sized MgO particles are formed in a carbon matrix prepared by pre-treatment of the mixture at 600 °C.

Exogenous Treatment with Glutamate Induces Immune Responses in .

Plant resistance inducers (PRIs) are compounds that protect plants from diseases by activating immunity responses. Exogenous treatment with glutamate (Glu), an important amino acid for all living organisms, induces resistance against fungal pathogens in rice and tomato. To understand the molecular mechanisms of Glu-induced immunity, we used the model system.

A plant effector-triggered immunity signaling sector is inhibited by pattern-triggered immunity.

Since signaling machineries for two modes of plant-induced immunity, pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), extensively overlap, PTI and ETI signaling likely interact. In an quadruple mutant, in which four major sectors of the signaling network, jasmonate, ethylene, PAD4, and salicylate, are disabled, the hypersensitive response (HR) typical of ETI is abolished when the effector AvrRpt2 is bacterially delivered but is intact when AvrRpt2 is directly expressed These observations led us to discovery of a network-buffered signaling mechanism that mediates HR signaling and is strongly inhibited by PTI signaling. We named this mechanism the ETI-Mediating and PTI-Inhibited Sector (EMPIS).

Exogenous proteinogenic amino acids induce systemic resistance in rice.

Background: Plant immune responses can be induced by endogenous and exogenous signaling molecules. Recently, amino acids and their metabolites have been reported to affect the plant immune system. However, how amino acids act in plant defense responses has yet to be clarified.

Peptidoglycan from fermentation by-product triggers defense responses in grapevine.

Plants are constantly under attack from a variety of microorganisms, and rely on a series of complex detection and response systems to protect themselves from infection. Here, we found that a by-product of glutamate fermentation triggered defense responses in grapevine, increasing the expression of defense response genes in cultured cells, foliar chitinase activity, and resistance to infection by downy mildew in leaf explants. To identify the molecule that triggered this innate immunity, we fractionated and purified candidates extracted from Corynebacterium glutamicum, a bacterium used in the production of amino acids by fermentation.

Mechanisms underlying robustness and tunability in a plant immune signaling network.

The plant immune signaling network needs to be robust against attack from fast-evolving pathogens and tunable to optimize immune responses. We investigated the basis of robustness and tunability in the signaling network controlling pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) in Arabidopsis. A dynamic network model containing four major signaling sectors, the jasmonate, ethylene, phytoalexin-deficient 4, and salicylate sectors, which together govern up to 80% of the PTI levels, was built using data for dynamic sector activities and PTI levels under exhaustive combinatorial sector perturbations.

Dual regulation of gene expression mediated by extended MAPK activation and salicylic acid contributes to robust innate immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Network robustness is a crucial property of the plant immune signaling network because pathogens are under a strong selection pressure to perturb plant network components to dampen plant immune responses. Nevertheless, modulation of network robustness is an area of network biology that has rarely been explored. While two modes of plant immunity, Effector-Triggered Immunity (ETI) and Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI), extensively share signaling machinery, the network output is much more robust against perturbations during ETI than PTI, suggesting modulation of network robustness.

Pattern-triggered immunity suppresses programmed cell death triggered by fumonisin b1.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a crucial process for plant innate immunity and development. In plant innate immunity, PCD is believed to prevent the spread of pathogens from the infection site. Although proper control of PCD is important for plant fitness, we have limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating plant PCD.

The peptide growth factor, phytosulfokine, attenuates pattern-triggered immunity.

Pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) is triggered by recognition of elicitors called microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). Although immune responses may provide good protection of plants from pathogen attack, excessive immune responses have negative impacts on plant growth and development. Thus, a good balance between positive and negative effects on the immune signaling network is important for plant fitness.

Analysis of glutamate homeostasis by overexpression of Fd-GOGAT gene in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Glutamate plays a central role in nitrogen flow and serves as a nitrogen donor for the production of amino acids. In plants, some amino acids work as buffers: during photorespiration, ammonium derived from the conversion of glycine to serine is promptly reassimilated into glutamate by the glutamine synthetase (GS-2)/ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase (Fd-GOGAT) cycle. The glutamate concentration is relatively stable compared with those of other amino acids under environmental changes.

Reproductive organs regulate leaf nitrogen metabolism mediated by cytokinin signal.

The metabolism of vegetative organs in plants changes during the development of the reproductive organs. The regulation of this metabolism is important in the control of crop productivity. However, the complexity of the regulatory systems makes it difficult to elucidate their mechanisms.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of aryl ketones mediated by a copper catalyst.

[reaction: see text] A novel asymmetric hydrogenation protocol using a copper catalyst is reported. A Cu(I) complex in the presence of nonracemic BDPP hydrogenates aryl ketones with moderate to high enantioselectivity.

Glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase modulates amino acid content during photorespiration.

In photorespiration, peroxisomal glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase (GGAT) catalyzes the reaction of glutamate and glyoxylate to produce 2-oxoglutarate and glycine. Previous studies demonstrated that alanine aminotransferase-like protein functions as a photorespiratory GGAT. Photorespiratory transamination to glyoxylate, which is mediated by GGAT and serine glyoxylate aminotransferase (SGAT), is believed to play an important role in the biosynthesis and metabolism of major amino acids.

Identification of photorespiratory glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase (GGAT) gene in Arabidopsis.

In the photorespiratory process, peroxisomal glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase (GGAT) catalyzes the reaction of glutamate and glyoxylate to 2-oxoglutarate and glycine. Although GGAT has been assumed to play important roles for the transamination in photorespiratory carbon cycles, the gene encoding GGAT has not been identified. Here, we report that an alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (AOAT)-like protein functions as GGAT in peroxisomes.