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MIL-53(Fe) was prepared and modified with benzoic acid to prepare MIL-53(Fe)-BA additive, which was used to improve the catalytic oxidation rate of sulfite, prevent the scaling of the desulfurization tower, and improve the desulfurization efficiency during the wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) process of power plants. MIL-53(Fe)-BA exhibits abundant Lewis acid sites because of the appearance of coordination unsaturated Fe atoms. Due to the excellent sorption capacity, Ca(OH)2 was used as the main SO2 desulfurizer. The composite desulfurizers were prepared by mixing MIL-53(Fe)-based additives and Ca(OH)2, and were characterized by SEM, XRD, and FT-IR. A desulfurization unit was set up at laboratory scale to study the effect of catalytic oxidation additives on sulfite oxidation and desulfurization efficiency. The results showed that the addition of MIL-53(Fe)-BA can increase the oxidation capacity of sulfite by 159%, and greatly improve the desulfurization efficiency. These composite desulfurizers broaden the adaptability of the desulfurizing system to high-sulfur coals, and provide support for improving the desulfurizing efficiency of power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global warming and socioeconomic developments, there is a tendency toward the emergence and spread of mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (MT-ZVL) in China. Timely identification of the transmission risk and spread of MT-ZVL is, therefore, of great significance for effectively interrupting the spread of MT-ZVL and eliminating the disease. In this study, 26 environmental variables—namely, climatic, geographical, and 2 socioeconomic indicators were collected from regions where MT-ZVL patients were detected during the period from 2019 to 2021, to create 10 ecological niche models. The performance of these ecological niche models was evaluated using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) and true skill statistic (TSS), and ensemble models were created to predict the transmission risk of MT-ZVL in China. All ten ecological niche models were effective at predicting the transmission risk of MT-ZVL in China, and there were significant differences in the mean AUC (H = 33.311, p < 0.05) and TSS values among these ten models (H = 26.344, p < 0.05). The random forest, maximum entropy, generalized boosted, and multivariate adaptive regression splines showed high performance at predicting the transmission risk of MT-ZVL (AUC > 0.95, TSS > 0.85). Ensemble models predicted a transmission risk of MT-ZVL in the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu, Sichuan, and Hebei, which was centered in Shanxi Province and presented high spatial clustering characteristics. Multiple ensemble ecological niche models created based on climatic and environmental variables are effective at predicting the transmission risk of MT-ZVL in China. This risk is centered in Shanxi Province and tends towards gradual radiation dispersion to surrounding regions. Our results provide insights into MT-ZVL surveillance in regions at high risk of MT-ZVL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) is a commercially important fish in Asian coastal waters. Although natural sex reversal has been described in yellowfin seabream, the mechanisms underlying sexual differentiation and gonadal development in this species remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play crucial roles in gametogenesis and gonadal development. Here, two libraries of small RNAs, constructed from the testes and ovaries of yellowfin seabream, were sequenced. Across both gonads, we identified 324 conserved miRNAs and 92 novel miRNAs: 67 ovary-biased miRNAs, including the miR-200 families, the miR-29 families, miR-21, and miR-725; and 88 testis-biased miRNAs, including the let-7 families, the miR-10 families, miR-7, miR-9, and miR-202-3p. GO (Gene Ontology) annotations and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses of putative target genes indicated that many target genes were significantly enriched in the steroid biosynthesis pathway and in the reproductive process. Our integrated miRNA-mRNA analysis demonstrated a putative negatively correlated expression pattern in yellowfin seabream gonads. This study profiled the expression patterns of sex-biased miRNAs in yellowfin seabream gonads, and provided important molecular resources that will help to clarify the miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of sexual differentiation and gonadal development in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncomelania hupensis is the unique intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum, which plays a key role during the transmission of schistosomiasis. It is mainly found in the Yangtze River valley and mountains or hills in southwest China. In this paper, we described 15 new microsatellite makers in O. hupensis. Polymorphism of each locus was assessed in 80 individuals from four wild populations (n = 20 per population). The number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 29, with an average of 15.8. The observed (H(O)) and expected (H(E)) heterozygosities varied from 0.397 to 0.851 and from 0.696 to 0.948, respectively. These microsatellite markers will be useful for population genetic studies and genome mapping in O. hupensis.