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Inorganic pore structures are critical to understand the oil and gas transport and storage properties of unconventional reservoirs. However, it can be difficult to quantitatively and qualitatively interpret the relationship between the inorganic pore structure and particle arrangement in terms of particle size and the brittle and clay mineral composition of shale. In this paper, artificial core simulations and mathematical modeling were performed to explore the effects of brittle mineral and clay mineral assemblages on shale pore structures. The artificial cores were subjected to computerized tomography and scanning electron microscopy analysis, as well as porosity and permeability testing. The results show that shale porosity and permeability increase with the brittle to clay mineral particle size ratio. This phenomenon is caused by the different arrangements of inorganic minerals in shale when the brittle to clay mineral particle size ratio is 1. A theoretical mathematical model based on mineral arrangement shows that shale permeability can be characterized by the inverse proportional function of mineral particle size. This investigation of shale pore heterogeneities on meso- and macroscales based on artificial cores provides new insights into the simulation of oil and gas transport in micro- to nanoscale pores and the understanding of pore evolution during the first diagenesis stage of shale, which is mainly composed of inorganic minerals.

The Russian leasing market as a source of financing innovative projects is studied. The authors analyze the problems and prospects for the development of financial support of innovative projects. A comparative analysis of the conclusion of financial leasing contracts of organizations engaged in financial leasing in the Russian Federation is carried out. A survey of the leasing industry made at the end of 2017 is considered. The surveyed companies participate in at least 75% of the financial leasing market.

In September 2010, grapevine (Vitis vinifera) trunk diseases were observed in several vineyards of Yantai District in Shandong Provinces and Changli County of Hebei Provinces of China. Characteristic symptoms of Botryosphaeria canker were apparent, including dark brown discoloration on the trunk (visible in cross-section), cob base shriveling, drying of fruit clusters, and berry falling (2). To identify the causal pathogen, culturing of fungi was attempted from 387 small pieces of tissue from the canker margins of 43 diseased plants. Samples were surface disinfected by placing them in 75% ethanol for 1 min and rinsing with sterilized water three times before culturing on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28°C for 7 to 10 days. Fungi isolated were single spored to obtain pure cultures. On the basis of colony characteristics on PDA, 18 isolates from the 387 tissue pieces were eventually identified as Botryosphaeria obtusa (1), Most of the other fungi isolated were B. dothidea. B. obtusa colonies were grayish white, becoming dark brown with age, and pycnidia were formed after incubation for approximately 7 days. Conidia measured 8 to 11 × 17 to 26 μm (n= 50). Two isolates were used for rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis with primers ITS1 and ITS4 (3). PCR products were separated by electrophoresis and bands were purified for legation with PMD-18T (Takara Company, Dalian, China) vector for sequencing. BLAST searches of two ITS sequences had 99 to 100% identity to B. obtusa. EF1-α and β-tubulin sequence analysis gave similar results. Koch's postulates were completed in the greenhouse on grape shoots inoculated with two isolates of B. obtusa originally isolated from diseased plants in the field. Inoculations were made on green shoots of V. vinifera cv. Dunkelfelder T. Six shoots were inoculated per isolate by wounding with a 4-mm cork borer (2 mm deep) and placing a colonized agar plug from a 5-day-old culture on the wound and wrapping it with Parafilm. Controls were mock inoculated with an agar plug from sterile PDA. Inoculated shoots were incubated in the dark under moist conditions in the laboratory for 8 to 10 days at 25°C. Inoculated shoots had necrotic cankers after 8 to 10 days and B. obtusa was recovered from each canker margin. The results indicated that some grapevines in China with symptoms of Botryosphaeria canker were infected by B. obtusa. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this pathogen causing trunk disease on grapevine in China. References: (1) A. Taylor et al. Australas. Plant Pathol. 34:187, 2005. (2) J. R. Úrbez-Torres et al. Plant Dis. 92:519, 2008. (3) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, 1990.

Epidemiology is one of main courses for undergraduate students majoring in preventive medicine. There are some limitations in the traditional epidemiology teaching, which is usually characterized in indoctrinated education: "lectured by the teachers and listened by the students." In Zhejiang University, staff of the epidemiology division tried to explore a new teaching mode as 'student-centered, teacher-leading, question-based, and combining with literature discussion and course practice.' After practicing for two years, students were inspired in learning initiatives, with teaching effectiveness obviously improved.流行病学是预防医学本科专业的一门主干课程。目前流行病学教学以传统灌输式，即教师授课、学生听讲的教学模式为主。该模式存在很大的局限性。浙江大学流行病学课程组尝试采用以教师为主导、以学生为中心、以问题为导向，探索理论教学、流行病学案例讨论与课程实践相结合的综合教学模式。通过对两届学生开展新教学实践的结果表明，学生学习兴趣得到激发，积极性增强，学习效果提高，总体教学效果改善明显。该教学改革为国内高校开设同类专业课程的建设提供借鉴和参考，为课程建设的进一步改进与完善奠定了坚实的基础。.

Although conflict and trust have often been considered incompatible, recent studies indicate that managing conflict cooperatively and trust can reinforce each other. This chapter uses recent research to understand how cooperative goals strengthen trust and how trust promotes open-minded discussions that help protagonists resolve their conflicts constructively. These open-minded discussions very much contribute to making industrial relations practices effective. Trust is defined as expectations that another person will promote one’s goals. Cooperative goals strengthen trust as collaborators understand that they can promote their own goals by helping others reach their goals. Trust is critical for fostering open-minded discussions that result in strengthened relationships and mutually beneficial resolutions. In contrast, competitive goals are a basis for suspicious expectations that fosters closed-minded interaction that in turn results in fragmented relationships and deadlock or imposed decisions. Considerable research identifies various strategies that managers and employees have to develop cooperative goals, trust, and open-minded discussions. Then they are empowered to manage their conflicts directly and constructively with each other as they resolve their grievances, negotiate compensation, and in other ways strengthen the work relationships between employees and managers.

Teams that can manage their internal functioning may be able to continue to work effectively so that they innovate. This study suggests that cooperative but not competitive or independent goals are a foundation for effective team reflexivity. Two hundred employees in 100 work teams in China completed measures of their team’s goal interdependence (cooperative, competitive, and independent) and reflexivity. The managers of these 100 teams rated their team’s innovation. Results support the theorizing that cooperative goals can contribute to team reflexivity. Structural equation analysis suggested that cooperative but not competitive or independent goals promote reflexivity that in turn results in team innovation. These results, coupled with previous research, were interpreted as suggesting that cooperative goals and reflexivity are complementary foundations for team innovation.

Purpose The GDx is a scanning laser polarimeter that assesses peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness. In addition to the 14 existing outcome parameters, four new parameters have been described recently: the Ellipse Standard Deviation (ESD), the Normalized Superior Area (NSA), the Normalized Inferior Area (NIA) and the Discriminant Analysis (DA). The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of these four new parameters. Methods Only one randomly selected eye of 263 healthy volunteers and 241 glaucoma patients was considered. The healthy group was randomly divided into a reference set (n = 132) to calculate the tenth percentile of the normal distribution and a test set (n = 131) to calculate the specificity against these newly established cut-off points. Sensitivity was calculated for all glaucoma patients (n = 241) and again for three separate subgroups: early glaucoma (n = 90), moderate glaucoma (n = 93), and advanced glaucoma (n = 58). Results When the tenth percentile of the normal distribution was used as a cut-off point, the sensitivity and specificity pairs of the new parameters were 61.8% and 87.6%, 61.8% and 89.1%, 50.2% and 92.2% and 72.6% and 95.3% for the ESD, NSA, NIA, and the DA, respectively. The Area under the ROC curve was 0.86, 0.86, 0.87, and 0.90, respectively. Among the existing parameters, the Number discriminated best (sensitivity and specificity: 76.8% and 89.1%, respectively; area under the ROC curve: 0.90). When compared with The Number, the DA was equally good, whereas the other three new parameters performed statistically significantly worse. In general, the area under the ROC curve increased from early to moderate to advanced glaucoma. Conclusions The new GDx parameters discriminated well between normal subjects and glaucoma patients. None of the new parameters discriminated better than The Number.

A 19 year-old man was presented to us in a state of respiratory distress with history of alleged accidentally swallowed the live fish. Flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscope showed a big live fish impacted in the laryngopharynx. Attempts to remove the fish orally were futile as the fish was impacted. We resorted to tracheostomy under local anaesthesia, followed by direct laryngoscopy and removal of the fish under general anaesthesia. The literature review of such rare incidence and approach to such case are discussed.

Adhesion of leukocytes to vascular endothelium is crucial for leukocyte migration into tissues. The contributions of L-selectin, P-selectin, and ICAM-1 to interactions between lymphocytes and endothelium was examined using allogeneic skin graft rejection as a model of cutaneous inflammation. L-selectin-deficient (L-selectin(-/-)) mice rejected both primary and secondary allogeneic (BALB/c) skin grafts significantly more slowly than L-selectin(+/+) littermates. Furthermore, skin graft rejection remained significantly delayed in L-selectin(-/-) mice, despite placement of grafts 7 days after i.p. immunization with allogeneic cells, when CTL responses in L-selectin(-/-) mice and L-selectin(+/+) littermates were confirmed to be equivalent. Indeed, specific CTL responses to BALB/c splenocytes were normal or elevated in L-selectin(-/-) mice following either skin grafts or immunization. However, the number of T lymphocytes within allogeneic grafts was lower in L-selectin(-/-) mice as compared with L-selectin(+/+) littermates. Therefore, delayed rejection of skin grafts by L-selectin(-/-) mice reflects impaired migration of effector cells into the graft rather than delayed or impaired generation of a CTL response. In contrast to L-selectin(-/-) mice, P-selectin-deficient and ICAM-1-deficient mice rejected allogeneic skin grafts normally. These findings delineate an important role for L-selectin in lymphocyte recruitment to cutaneous sites of inflammation.

The HNK-1 epitope has been associated with the metastatic behaviour of uveal melanomas. We characterized HNK-1 antigens on four human uveal (primary and metastatic) and two primary cutaneous melanoma cell lines by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. We also determined the involvement of the HNK-1 epitope in cell-cell interactions on a matrigel layer. Three uveal melanoma cell lines (one primary and two metastatic) and one cutaneous melanoma cell line showed HNK-1 expression by immunocytochemistry. On matrigel, only the HNK-1-positive cutaneous melanoma cell line Bowes grew in a honeycomb-like structure which disappeared after adding HNK-1 antibodies to the culture medium. Immunoblot analysis of the primary uveal melanoma cell line EOM-3 revealed five HNK-1-positive protein bands with apparent molecular weights of 200, 160, 115, 95 and 75 kDa. The cutaneous melanoma cell line Bowes showed three HNK-1-positive protein bands with apparent molecular weights of 150, 135 and 90 kDa. This study shows that two uveal (primary and metastatic) and one primary cutaneous melanoma cell lines express HNK-1 antigens on immunoblot. Only in the HNK-1-positive cutaneous melanoma cell line Bowes did the HNK-1 epitope have a function in intercellular adhesion. Although the primary uveal melanoma cell line EOM-3 showed a similar HNK-1 immunoreactivity, we could not demonstrate HNK-1-mediated cell adhesion. On immunoblot, the two cell lines displayed different HNK-1 antigens, which may explain the difference in cell adhesion.

A 10 year-old Iban girl presented with severe odynophagia for 4 days and subcutaneous emphysema. Clinically, her neck was tender with crepitus. Lateral neck radiograph showed multiple linear radiolucent shadows at retropharyngeal space. Flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscope revealed a tunnel behind upper oesophagus with slough and there was pooling of saliva at pyriform sinus. Feeding via nasogastric tube was started and empirical treatment for fungal and bacterial infection was commenced. Subsequent computed tomography of neck and thorax showed a 15-long blind tract at subglottic region posterior to oesophagus (prevertebral region), extending to superior mediastinum just before carina at T3/T4 level, represent abscess. Hourly suctioning of the remaining abscess in the blind tract with 10ml-syringe was done.

With the substantial growth of mobile phone users, mobile commerce (m-commerce) has been predicated to become a powerful tool in electronic commerce. To achieve success in m-commerce, companies must first understand consumer behaviors toward m-commerce adoption. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive review of the information system (IS) literature related to consumer perspectives of m-commerce, integrate research findings across studies in order to enhance the knowledge of consumer behavior regarding m-commerce adoption, and provide a clear direction for further discussion. An integrative framework based on finding according to a coherent and comprehensive review related studies in m-commerce field was proposed. This integrative framework proposed system quality, information quality, service quality, and bizware characteristics as critical factors that influence consumer behaviors toward adopting m-commerce through the perceptions of easy of use, usefulness, risk, and convenience.

The incidence of hospital admissions for food allergy-related anaphylaxis in Australia has increased, in line with world-wide trends. However, a valid measure of food allergy prevalence and risk factor data from a population-based study is still lacking.To describe the study design and methods used to recruit infants from a population for skin prick testing and oral food challenges, and the use of preliminary data to investigate the extent to which the study sample is representative of the target population.The study sampling frame design comprises 12-month-old infants presenting for routine scheduled vaccination at immunization clinics in Melbourne, Australia. We compared demographic features of participating families to population summary statistics from the Victorian Perinatal census database, and administered a survey to those non-responders who chose not to participate in the study.Study design proved acceptable to the community with good uptake (response rate 73.4%), with 2171 participants recruited. Demographic information on the study population mirrored the Victorian population with most the population parameters measured falling within our confidence intervals (CI). Use of a non-responder questionnaire revealed that a higher proportion of infants who declined to participate (non-responders) were already eating and tolerating peanuts, than those agreeing to participate (54.4%; 95% CI 50.8, 58.0 vs. 27.4%; 95% CI 25.5, 29.3 among participants).A high proportion of individuals approached in a community setting participated in a food allergy study. The study population differed from the eligible sample in relation to family history of allergy and prior consumption and peanut tolerance, providing some insights into the internal validity of the sample. The study exhibited external validity on general demographics to all births in Victoria.

Background In cutaneous melanoma, the S-100-β serum level is recognized as a marker of metastatic disease. Objectives To determine whether S-100-β is present in the serum of patients with uveal melanoma and to test whether the serum concentration of S-100-β is related to known clinical and histopathological prognostic factors in these patients. Methods The S-100-β concentration was measured in serum samples collected from 64 patients with uveal melanoma before enucleation and from 58 healthy control subjects. A 2-site immunoluminometric assay was used to quantify the S-100-β concentration in serum. S-100-β concentrations in the serum from patients were compared with clinicopathological tumor variables, sex, occurrence of metastasis, and survival. Results Thirty-seven (57.8%) of 64 patients with uveal melanoma showed detectable levels of serum S-100-β. There was, however, no significant difference between serum levels of patients and control subjects ( P = .71). Statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between S-100-β concentration and any of the clinicopathological tumor variables, occurrence of metastases, or survival. Only sex was correlated with S-100-β serum levels, which was not observed in the control group. Conclusions In our study on patients with uveal melanoma, the S-100-β serum concentration was not correlated with any investigated prognostic factor and was not of prognostic value itself. Female patients appeared to have higher S-100-β concentrations than male patients.

To explore a new surgical approach to repair skin and soft tissue defect of hands.Based on the anatomical study of the origin, course, branch, distribution, and anastomosis of the posterior interosseous artery and its recurrent branches in 40 upper limbs of cadavers, the posterior forearm serial flap, pedicled with the posterior interosseous artery and its recurrent branches, was designed and applied clinically in 17 cases to repair the skin and soft tissue defect of hands from August 1998 to July 2000. The size of flaps ranged from 7 cm x 5 cm to 15 cm x 10 cm. All of the cases were followed up for 3 weeks to 6 months.The anatomy study showed that the posterior forearm serial flap had long vascular pedicle, suitable thickness and large skin area. The clinical application indicated that the flaps survived in 16 cases. But flap necrosis at the distal end, sized 2 cm x 3 cm, was observed in one case, in which the defect was repaired by delayed skin grafting,The posterior forearm serial flap pedicled with the posterior interosseous artery and its recurrent branch have the character of avoidance of sacrificing the major arteries of the extremity, longer vascular pedicle, larger area and suitable thickness. The posterior forearm serial flap is a safe and easily manipulated surgical approach to repair the skin and soft tissue defect of the hands, especially of the thumb, palm, and proximal part of the fingers.

To establish the applied anatomy of the V-shaped fibular osteomyocutaneous flap pedicled on the peroneal vessels, cadaver dissections were made in 60 lower limbs and 40 calcanei were examined to sum up the features of calcaneal biomechanics on the stability of the foot and the blood supply of the fibular osteomyocutaneous flap. There were four anastomoses and large communicating branches between the lower segment of the peroneal artery and the anterior and posterior tibial arteries. The flap was well supplied by a retrograde circulation through these anastomoses. A suitable length of pedicle was 20 cm. In the sagittal section of the calcaneus passing through the center of the articular surface for the cuboid bone, the arrangement of the trabeculae formed a triangular zone. The V-shaped flap corresponds nicely with the calculated lines of stress evoked by the weight of the body. The procedure may provide a new method for hindfoot reconstruction. This flap meets the criteria outlined for composite tissue reconstruction of defects of the extremities and biomechanics of the hindfoot, especially for calcaneal and cuboid defects.

Leukocyte interactions with vascular endothelium during inflammation depend on cascades of adhesion molecule engagement, particularly during selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling. Leukocyte rolling is also facilitated by members of the integrin and Ig families. Specifically, leukocyte rolling velocities during inflammation are significantly increased in ICAM-1-deficient mice, with ICAM-1 expression required for optimal P- and L-selectin-mediated rolling. Elimination of ICAM-1 expression in L-selectin-deficient mice significantly reduces leukocyte rolling. Whether disrupted leukocyte rolling in L-selectin and ICAM-1 double-deficient (L-selectin/ICAM-1-/-) mice affects leukocyte entry into sites of inflammation in vivo was assessed in the current study by using experimental models of inflammation; thioglycollate-induced peritonitis, chemokine-induced neutrophil migration to the skin, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, rejection of allogeneic skin grafts, and septic shock. In many cases, the loss of both L-selectin and ICAM-1 expression dramatically reduced leukocyte migration into sites of inflammation beyond what was observed with loss of either receptor alone. In fact, the effects from loss of both L-selectin and ICAM-1 effectively eliminated multiple chronic inflammatory responses in L-selectin/ICAM-1-/- mice. By contrast, the combined loss of L-selectin and ICAM-1 expression had minimal effects on the generation of Ag-specific T cell responses or humoral immunity. Thus, members of the selectin and Ig families function synergistically to mediate optimal leukocyte rolling and entry into tissues, which is essential for the generation of effective inflammatory responses in vivo.

Lymphocyte migration into lymphoid organs is regulated by tissue-specific adhesion molecules such as L-selectin and the alpha4beta7 integrin. Whether L-selectin also regulates lymphocyte subset-specific migration into specific lymphoid tissues was examined in this study by comparing the migration of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells from L-selectin-deficient and wild-type mice. T cells were the predominant lymphocyte subset entering PLN, MLN, Peyer's patches, and spleen during short term (1-h) migration assays. However, both B cell and CD4+ and CD8+ T cell entries into PLN, MLN, and Peyer's patches were dramatically impaired (73-98%) by loss of L-selectin. Lymphocyte expression of alpha4beta7 integrin did not compensate for the loss of L-selectin, since both B and T cells predominantly migrated into the spleen in the absence of L-selectin. The more efficient migration of T cells into peripheral lymphoid tissues relative to that of B cells was partly explained by the finding that T cells expressed L-selectin at 50 to 100% higher levels than B cells. In addition, a 50% reduction in L-selectin expression by lymphocytes from hemizygous L-selectin(+/-) mice resulted in a 50 to 70% decrease in short term lymphocyte migration into peripheral lymphoid tissues relative to that of wild-type lymphocytes. Thus, the differential migration of T and B lymphocyte subsets to lymphoid tissues is regulated in part by subset-specific differences in L-selectin expression levels.

Lymphocyte migration into lymphoid organs is regulated by adhesion molecules including L-selectin and the beta7 integrins. L-selectin and alpha4beta7 are predominantly hypothesized to direct the selective migration of lymphocytes to peripheral lymph nodes and the gut-associated lymphoid tissues, respectively. To further characterize interactions between L-selectin and beta7 integrins during lymphocyte recirculation, mice deficient in both receptors (L-selectin/beta7 integrin-/-) were generated. The simultaneous loss of L-selectin and beta7 integrin expression prevented the majority of lymphocytes (95% inhibition) from attaching to high endothelial venules (HEV) of Peyer's patches and other lymphoid tissues during in vitro binding assays. Moreover, the inability to bind HEV eliminated the vast majority of L-selectin/beta7 integrin-/- lymphocyte migration into Peyer's patches during short-term and long-term in vivo migration assays (99% inhibition,p0.01). The lack of lymphocyte migration into Peyer's patches correlated directly with the dramatically reduced size and cellularity (99% reduced) of this tissue in L-selectin/beta7 integrin-/- mice. High numbers of injected L-selectin/beta7 integrin-/- lymphocytes remaining in the blood of wild-type mice correlated with markedly increased numbers of circulating lymphocytes in L-selectin/beta7 integrin-/- mice. Loss of either L-selectin or the beta7 integrins alone resulted in significant but incomplete inhibition of Peyer's patch migration. Collectively, the phenotype of L-selectin/beta7 integrin-/- mice demonstrates that these two receptors primarily interact along the same adhesion pathway that is required for the vast majority of lymphocyte migration into Peyer's patches.