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Ammonia borane (AB), a liquid hydrogen storage material, has attracted increasing attention for hydrogen utilization because of its high hydrogen content. However, the slow kinetics of AB hydrolysis and the indefinite catalytic mechanism remain significant problems for its large‐scale practical application. Thus, the development of efficient AB hydrolysis catalysts and the determination of their catalytic mechanisms are significant and urgent. A summary of the preparation process and structural characteristics of various supported catalysts is presented in this paper, including graphite, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), metal oxides, carbon nitride (CN), molybdenum carbide (MoC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), boron nitride (h‐BN), zeolites, carbon dots (CDs), and metal carbide and nitride (MXene). In addition, the relationship between the electronic structure and catalytic performance is discussed to ascertain the actual active sites in the catalytic process. The mechanism of AB hydrolysis catalysis is systematically discussed, and possible catalytic paths are summarized to provide theoretical considerations for the designing of efficient AB hydrolysis catalysts. Furthermore, three methods for stimulating AB from dehydrogenation by‐products and the design of possible hydrogen product‐regeneration systems are summarized. Finally, the remaining challenges and future research directions for the effective development of AB catalysts are discussed. A summary of the preparation process and structural characteristics of supported catalysts is presented. The mechanism and catalytic paths of ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis are discussed for the designing of AB hydrolysis catalysts. Methods for stimulating AB from dehydrogenation by‐products and hydrogen product‐regeneration systems are summarized. The remaining challenges and future directions for the effective development of AB catalysts are discussed.

In this paper, we address the problem of covariance matrix estimation for radar adaptive detection under non-Gaussian clutter. Traditional model-based estimators may suffer from performance loss due to the mismatch between real data and assumed models. Therefore, we resort to a data-driven deep-learning method and propose a covariance matrix estimation method based on a complex-valued convolutional neural network (CV-CNN). Moreover, a real-valued (RV) network with the same framework as the proposed CV network is also constructed to serve as a natural competitor. The obtained clutter covariance matrix estimation based on the network is applied to the adaptive normalized matched filter (ANMF) detector for performance assessment. The detection results via both simulated and real sea clutter illustrate that the estimator based on CV-CNN outperforms other traditional model-based estimators as well as its RV competitor in terms of probability of detection (PD).

This study deals with the problem of covariance matrix estimation for radar sensor signal detection applications with insufficient secondary data in non-Gaussian clutter. According to the Euclidean mean, the authors combined an available prior covariance matrix with the persymmetric structure covariance estimator, symmetric structure covariance estimator, and Toeplitz structure covariance estimator, respectively, to derive three knowledge-aided structured covariance estimators. At the analysis stage, the authors assess the performance of the proposed estimators in estimation accuracy and detection probability. The analysis is conducted both on the simulated data and real sea clutter data collected by the IPIX radar sensor system. The results show that the knowledge-aided Toeplitz structure covariance estimator (KA-T) has the best performance both in estimation and detection, and the knowledge-aided persymmetric structure covariance estimator (KA-P) has similar performance with the knowledge-aided symmetric structure covariance estimator (KA-S). Moreover, compared with existing knowledge-aided estimator, the proposed estimators can obtain better performance when secondary data are insufficient.

Hydrogen (H2) production is a key challenge for green carbon-free sustainable energy. Among the H2 evolution methods from H-rich materials, ammonia borane (AB) solvolysis stands as a privileged source under ambient and sub-ambient conditions given its stability, non-toxicity, and solubility in protic solvents, provided suitable and optimized nanocatalysts are used. In this paper dedicated to Prof. Avelino Corma, we comparatively review AB hydrolysis and alcoholysis (mostly methanolysis) in terms of nanocatalyst performances and discuss the advantages and inconveniences of these two AB solvolysis methods including AB regeneration.

Background Despite the increased morbidity of ulcerative colitis (UC) in the developing countries, available treatments remain unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is urgent to discover more effective therapeutic strategies. Pulsatilla chinensis was widely used for the treatment of inflamed intestinal diseases including UC for thousands of years in China. Anemoside B4, the most abundant triterpenoid saponin isolated from P. chinensis , exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and may be the most active compounds, which is responsible for the therapeutic effects. However, the mechanism how anemoside B4 executes its biological functions is still elusive. Methods Here, we used the 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis rat model to evaluate the therapeutic effect of anemoside B4. Blood samples of colitis rats were collected for hematology analysis. The inflammation-associated factors were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cell proliferation and apoptosis was determined with EdU cell proliferation assay and TUNEL assay. The proteins regulated by anemoside B4 were identified by label-free quantitative proteomics. The significantly down-regulated proteins were verified by Western blotting analysis. mRNA expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Results The results showed that anemoside B4 ameliorated TNBS-induced colitis symptoms, including tissue damage, inflammatory cell infiltration, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, apoptosis and slowed proliferation in colon. Quantitative proteomic analyses discovered that 56 proteins were significantly altered by anemoside B4 in the TNBS-induced rats. These proteins mainly clustered in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and respiratory electron transport chain. Among the altered proteins, S100A9 is one of the most significantly down-regulated proteins and associated with NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of UC. Further experiments revealed that anemoside B4 suppressed the expression of S100A9 and its downstream genes including TLR4 and NF-κB in colon. In vitro, anemoside B4 could inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway induced by recombinant S100A9 protein in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. Moreover, anemoside B4 inhibits neutrophils recruitment and activation in colon induced by TNBS. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that anemoside B4 prevents TNBS-induced colitis by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway through deactivating S100A9, suggesting that anemoside B4 is a promising therapeutic candidate for colitis.

The extreme persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), exemplified by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), demands remediation technologies that surpass conventional approaches. This study introduces a novel closed-loop adsorption–regeneration–distillation–plasma (ARDP) process designed for high-efficiency PFOA removal with low energy and chemical consumption. Comparative evaluation of anion-exchange resins identified D311 (macroporous methyl polyacrylate) as the optimal adsorbent. In batch experiments with an initial PFOA concentration of 100 mg/L, D311 achieved an adsorption capacity of ~20 mg/g, exhibited rapid kinetics, and achieved high regeneration efficiency (up to 100% under optimized conditions) via a methanol–NaCl solution. Distillation of the spent regenerant recovered approximately 80% of methanol while simultaneously concentrating PFOA for subsequent destruction, accomplished by utilizing waste heat from the plasma system, without the need for additional thermal energy input. Subsequent dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment of the residue achieved 100% PFOA degradation and up to 69% defluorination. The ARDP process proves to be a highly sustainable strategy, characterized by a low specific energy input (4.15 kWh/m3) and minimized secondary waste, making it a promising approach for practical PFAS remediation.

Epigenetic modification is one of most important mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether histone acetyltransferase binding to ORC1 (HBO1) can protect against cigarette smoke (CS)-induced cell apoptosis and sustain normal histone acetylation in COPD. Human lung tissue samples were obtained from patients who underwent lung resection. The emphysema mouse model and HBO1 overexpressing mice were each established by intraperitoneal injection with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) or intratracheal lentiviral vectors instillation. TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) assays were used to assess apoptotic ratio in mice. The apoptosis of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) was assayed by flow cytometry. HBO1, B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), and H3K14ac protein expression were detected by Western blotting. HBO1 mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression of HBO1 was decreased significantly in lung tissue from COPD patients and CSE-treated emphysema mouse models. Overexpression of HBO1 attenuated CSE-induced emphysematous changes, as well as apoptosis in the lungs of COPD mice. In vitro, the HBO1 protein degraded in a time- and dose-dependent course with CSE treatment. With flow cytometry, we proved that HBO1 could reverse the apoptosis of HBECs induced by CSE. Furthermore, HBO1 overexpression promoted the expression of anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein and enhanced H3K14 acetylation in airway epithelial cells. These findings demonstrate that the key histone modulator HBO1 plays a protective role in COPD pathogenesis that may shed light on potential therapeutic targets to inhibit the progress of COPD.

The floral color variegation of cultivar 'Sahong Tao' is distinctive and possesses significant ornamental value. Currently, there are no relevant reports on how MYB transcription factors (TFs) interact with promoter to regulate the flower color variegation in peach. In this study, we screened for proteins that interact with the promoter using yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The NGS data were aligned with the database (TAIR10) utilizing Python 3.10.4. PlantTFDB was employed to identify TFs, while PlantRegMap was used to predict TFs that interact with the promoter. The Y1H assay verified MYB1R1 interaction with promoter, and Y1H-AOS predicted their binding sites. The physicochemical properties, structure and interacting proteins of MYB1R1 were analyzed using bioinformatics methods. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analyses of were performed. Finally, the tissue expression specificity of and in 'Sahong Tao' was examined using qRT-PCR. The Y1H and NGS results indicate that 1,190 proteins interact with the promoter. Among these, 20 TFs were identified, including ERF, MYB, NF-YB, SBP, S1Fa-like, TCP, bHLH, LBD, ZF-HD, C3H, DBB, MYB-related, and HD-ZIP. Of the 1,190 proteins, 1,146 exhibit high similarity to homologs in , with 332 classified as RNA binding proteins and 124 as DNA binding proteins. A comparison with the NGS results identified seven TFs that align with predictions from PlantRegMap. Based on these findings, we selected MYB44 (PRUPE_6G229000, PRUPE_1G430000) and MYB1R1 (PRUPE_5G182000) as candidate members. Y1H assays demonstrated that MYB1R1 interacts with the promoter. Y1H-AOS was used to confirm 24 interaction binding sites. consists of an 897 bp full-length CDS, encoding 298 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight of 32.49 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 7.20. MYB1R1 features a typical SANT-MYB domain, and its secondary structure is predominantly composed of irregular coils. Phylogenetic analysis indicates a close evolutionary relationship between MYB1R1 from 'Sahong Tao' and both and . Promoter prediction analysis for reveals multiple hormone- and stress-related -acting elements. MYB1R1 may interact with bHLH and other proteins to perform its functions. In variegated petals, expression is higher and expression is lower compared to red petals, suggesting that MYB1R1 negatively regulates anthocyanin synthesis by interacting with LDOX. This study contributes to elucidating the function of and the regulatory mechanism of MYB- in the flower color of 'Sahong Tao'.

Background: Schistosomiasis is a major neglected disease for which the current control strategy involves mass treatment with praziquantel, the only available drug. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop new antischistosomal compounds. Methods: The antischistosomal activity of hederacolchiside A1 (HSA) were determined by total or female worm burden reductions in mice harboring Schistosoma japonicum or S. mansoni. Pathology parameters were detected on HSA against 1-day-old S. japonicum-harboring mice. Moreover, we confirmed the antischistosomal effect of HSA on newly transformed schistosomula (NTS) of S. japonicum in vitro. Results: HSA, a natural product isolated from Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel, was initially corroborated to possess promising antischistosomal properties. We demonstrated that HSA had high activity against S. japonicum and S. mansoni less in 11 days old parasites harbored in mice. The antischistosomal effect was even more than the currently used drugs, praziquantel, and artesunate. Furthermore, HSA could ameliorate the pathology parameters in mice harboring 1-day-old juvenile S. japonicum. We also confirmed that HSA-mediated antischistosomal activity is partly due to the morphological changes in the tegument system when NTS are exposed to HSA. Conclusions: HSA may have great potential to be an antischistosomal agent for further research.

Cigarette smoke exposure is the most common risk factor for emphysema, which is one of the major pathologies of COPD. Protein arginine methyltransferase 6 (PRMT6) is a nuclear enzyme that specially catalyzes dimethylation of R2 in histone H3 (H3R2me2a). H3R2me2a prevents trimethylation of H3K4 (H3K4me3), which is located in the transcription start sites of genes in mammalian genomes. We attempted to determine the expression of PRMT6 in human samples, and investigate whether the upregulation of PRMT6 expression can attenuate the development of cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced emphysema. Further experiments were performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved. Human lung tissues were obtained from patients undergoing pneumonectomy for benign pulmonary lesions. BALB/c mice were treated with lentiviral vectors intratracheally and injected with CSE three times. The protein expression of PRMT6, H3R2me2a, and H3K4me3 in human and mouse samples, as well as B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in mice were detected in lung homogenates by Western blotting. The mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6, Bcl-2, Bax, and eNOS in mice was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expression of PRMT6 was significantly downregulated in the pulmonary parenchyma in smokers with COPD as well as in mice treated with CSE. Overexpression of PRMT6 was detected in the CSE + Lenti-PRMT6 group of mice, which reversed the expression of H3R2me2a and H3K4me3. Inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress levels were severe in the CSE-treated emphysema mice compared with the control group, which was inhibited by the overexpression of PRMT6. The overexpression of PRMT6 might inhibit inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in CSE-induced emphysema mediated by H3R2me2a.