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Simple Summary: In March 2020, a group of wild Asian elephants suddenly roamed north from China's Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve and subsequently arrived in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, which has aroused widespread concern in the society. Based on this event, this study attempted to identify the possible migration routes of Asian elephants according to the existing land conditions and the movement habits of Asian elephants if wild Asian elephants in China migrated again. It was found that the areas with a high probability of migration by Asian elephants were mainly concentrated in the gently undulating shrubs, bamboo forests, and grasslands. Moreover, dense forests with steep slopes and high altitudes, cultivated land, and construction land are less likely to be passed by Asian elephants. Our findings can not only provide valuable insights into suggestions and solutions for the current conservation of wild Asian elephant species but also be beneficial in biological protection and biological reserve planning. Humans overlap with Asian elephants, resulting in frequent costly human–elephant conflicts, which disturb and even threaten local residents. In this study, we treat provincial and national nature reserves where Asian elephants still exist and other alternative habitats suitable for Asian elephants in southern Yunnan, China, as ecological patches. By using this approach, we can treat the terrain and surface state factors that hinder the migration of Asian elephants as a form of ecological resistance surface. We can then use a circuit theory model and remote sensing data to construct an ecological network, which allows us to identify ecological corridors and ecological pinch points. Herein, the possible migration routes of wild Asian elephants were identified. The main results are as follows: (1) In the study area, dense forests with steep slopes and high altitudes, cultivated land, and building land have greater migration resistance, while the gently undulating shrubs, bamboo forests, and grasslands far away from the city have less migration resistance. (2) There are three ecological corridor groups in the study area, mainly composed of shrub and grassland. The ecological corridors identified in this paper are the most likely migration routes of wild Asian elephants in China, and areas with higher simulated current densities reflect a higher probability of Asian elephants passing through. (3) According to the analysis, the ecological pinch points in the study area are 602 km2 in total, and woodland and grassland account for 89.2% of the total ecological pinch area. The areas where the pinch points are located have a high probability of Asian elephants passing through and a narrow space. Our findings can provide suggestions and solutions for the current conservation of wild Asian elephant species, alleviate human–elephant conflicts, promote the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and provide reference for biological protection and biological reserve planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive histiocytosis, a novel rare histiocytic proliferation, was first described in 2008; it occurs in early infancy with liver and hematopoietic involvement. The spectrum was subsequently broadened to include localized diseases in older children and young adults. However, its full clinicopathological features and molecular lineage have not been fully elucidated. Results: Here, we report four cases of multisystem ALK-positive histiocytosis without hematopoietic involvement. Clinically, three patients were adults aged between 32 and 51 years. Two patients’, whose main manifestations were intracranial mass and numerous micronodules in the thoracoabdominal cavity organs and skin papules respectively, had a partial response to ALK inhibitors after surgery. One patient presented with mediastinal neoplasm without surgical treatment, and progressive disease occurred after two years of ALK inhibitor therapy. The fourth patient was a 17-month-old male with a large intracranial mass and presented with a poor response to ALK inhibitor and chemoradiotherapy; he died eight months after surgery. Pathologically, the histiocytes were large, with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, and mixed with variable numbers of foamy cells and Touton giant cells. Interstitial fibrosis was also observed. Histiocytes were positive for macrophage markers (CD68 and CD163) and ALK. KIF5B-ALK fusions were detected in two cases, EML4-ALK in one, and both DCTN1-ALK and VRK2-ALK fusions were detected in one case. Conclusions: We observed that ALK inhibitors present robust and durable responses in adult patients but a poor response in young children with central nervous system involvement. There is no consensus on the optimal treatment regimen and long-term prognosis requires further observation. Moreover, every unusual histiocytic proliferative lesion, especially unresectable and multisystem involvement, should be routinely tested for ALK immunohistochemical staining to identify this rare disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-displacement corner deformation often occurs at the joints of towering structures and long-span space structures subjected to strong earthquake. In order to improve the energy dissipation capacity of structural joints, the Nitrile Butadiene Rubber/High Abrasion Furnace Black (NBR/HAF) high damping composite was fabricated by formulation optimization in this paper, where a nonlinear large-deformation viscoelastic joint damper was proposed. The damper consists of five layers of restrained steel plates and four layers of shear energy dissipating material, which can reach 60 mm shear displacement. In this paper, dynamic mechanical performance tests and static mechanical tests were firstly conducted on the core energy dissipating media of the damper. The loss factor of NBR/HAF composite reached a peak of 1.51 at about 8.2°C, while its wide damping temperature range was 27°C. Second, the accuracy of the simulation method was verified by comparing the simulated and experimental hysteresis curves. Then, the refined numerical simulation of this damper was carried out using ABAQUS finite element software with the high damping material as its core energy dissipating media. Finally, the magnitude and type of energy dissipation of each part of the viscoelastic joint damper under different loads were investigated. It was found that the large-deformation viscoelastic joint damper based on the composite had good damping capacity. Its dynamic characteristics were affected by the displacement amplitude and excitation frequency, which exhibited hardening nonlinear characteristics. As the frequency and load amplitude increased, the peak displacement in the loading direction gradually decreased, whereas the total energy input to the damper and the energy dissipated by the viscoelastic material increased monotonically. The input energy was only dissipated by the viscoelastic material, and no plastic loss occurred in the steel plate during the entire loading stage. Under high frequency and large loads, the damper can also have good energy dissipation characteristics. Because of the negative strain energy caused by plastic dilatancy, the energy dissipated by the material was gradually greater than the input energy with the load increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PRP/chitosan/chondroitin sulfate immunomodulatory hydrogels are constructed. • The hydrogel has hemostatic and free radical scavenging effects. • Oxidative stress is reduced to enhance endothelial cell movement and tube formation. • Enhanced M2 macrophage polarization is realized via NF-κB pathway regulation. • Enhanced expression of key angiogenic factors promotes angiogenesis. Diabetic wound healing encounters numerous challenges including bacterial infection, macrophage dysfunction, excessive inflammation, and oxidative stress, causing delays in the overlapping processes of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling and thus imposing a high burden on patients. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has demonstrated significant potential for diabetic wound treatment by promoting granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, re-epithelialization, and angiogenesis. However, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, immunomodulatory hydrogel co-networks based on PRP, with strong hemostatic, antibacterial, and free radical scavenging effects, are developed for diabetic wound treatment. In vitro and in vivo, the hydrogels can reduce endothelial cell apoptosis and promote tube formation by regulating the oxidative stress microenvironment. For anti-inflammatory and tissue repair, the hydrogels can facilitate the M2 macrophage polarization by inhibiting phosphorylation of p-IκBα and p-P65 in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Through increasing the expression of key angiogenic factors (HIF-1α, VEGF, and FGF2), the hydrogels can significantly promote angiogenesis and the formation of endothelial cell tubular structures. These findings offer new insight into the synergistic regulatory contributions of the PRP-based therapy throughout multiple stages of healing, thereby establishing a biomolecular and cellular foundation for advanced diabetic wound management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study of a 46‑year‑old woman who is diagnosed with Bowen's disease is presented. Topics discussed include physical examination revealed a red lobulated nodule in the perineal area; biopsied specimen was consistent with Bowen's disease; and limitations of surgical excision include scars, deformation of surrounding tissue, bleeding, and risk for infection.

The reaction of isoprene and methacrolein with ozonewas investigatedat different stages in the condensed phase at temperatures from 15to 265 K by IR spectroscopy. The results revealed the following overallreaction process: the generation of primary ozonide (POZ), then itsdecomposition, and finally conversion into secondary ozonide (SOZ),which supported the Criegee mechanism. In the POZ and SOZ of isoprene, ozone cyclo-added preferentially to the double-bond that is notsubstituted by the methyl group. For methacrolein, the mainly detectedSOZ is claimed to be MACSII formed by recombination of the intermediateCH2OO radical with aldehyde carbonyl of methylglyoxal instead of the ketone carbonyl group. Theoretical calculations wereperformed at the B3LYP//MP2/6-311 (2d, 2p) level to analyze theresulting spectrum. The good agreement between the calculated infraredspectra of POZ and SOZ and the experimental spectra supports the above-describedfindings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Performance analysis and verification of safety communication protocol are important techniques during protocol development process. In order to meet the requirement of safety, an advanced safety communication protocol is proposed to improve the protocol in EURORADIO. Among the improved protocol, the following two elements are added: (1) advanced scheme of establishment of safety connection. (2) double serial number replaces time stamp. The performance analysis related to safety of the advanced protocol and protocol in EURORADIO is given by Colored Petri Net (CPN) model through simulation. The analysis results verify that the advanced protocol has superior performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]