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Background: Benzene exposure has been associated with increased risk of leukemia and other cancers; however, epidemiologic evidence is inconsistent for the latter, and confounding from smoking and alcohol was rarely adjusted. Methods: We investigated associations between occupational benzene exposure and risk of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and lung, stomach, liver, and kidney cancers in a population-based cohort of 61,377 men, ages 40 to 74 years. A job-exposure matrix, constructed by industrial hygienists specifically for the study population, was used to derive cumulative benzene exposure from all jobs held. Cox regressions were performed to estimate adjusted HRs (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for benzene-cancer risk associations with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: Over 15 years of follow-up, 1,145 lung cancer, 656 stomach cancer, 445 liver cancer, 243 kidney cancer, 100 leukemia, 124 lymphoma, and 46 myeloma cases were identified. Benzene exposure >550 mg/m3 was associated with an increased risk of leukemia (aHR = 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1-4.5), lung cancer (aHR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.0-1.6), and stomach cancer (aHR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9); benzene exposure was associated with early cancer diagnosis age. The benzene-leukemia and benzene-stomach cancer associations followed a linear dose-response pattern (Plinear = 0.016 and 0.023), whereas the benzene-lung cancer association was evident at higher exposure levels (Pnonlinear = 0.027). Alcohol consumption modified the benzene-leukemia association (aHR = 3.0; 95% CI, 1.1-8.3 for drinkers and aHR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.4-2.0 for nondrinkers, Pinteraction = 0.047). Conclusions: Benzene exposure was associated with an increased risk of leukemia, stomach cancer, and lung cancer. Alcohol consumption may modify the benzene-leukemia association, although estimates are imprecise. Impact: Our study provides additional evidence that benzene exposure increases cancer risk beyond leukemia, information important for policymakers to develop programs to mitigate cancer risk among benzene-exposed workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the various anticancer activities of tocopherols, little is known about tocopherols associated with lung cancer risk among low-income African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA) who are disproportionately affected by the disease. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study that included 209 incident lung cancer cases and 406 matched controls within the Southern Community Cohort Study. Using biospecimens collected at cohort enrollment, plasma levels of α-, β/γ-, δ-, and total-tocopherols were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for lung cancer risk after adjusting for potential confounders. Stratified analyses were also conducted. Results: Plasma levels of total-tocopherols were inversely associated with lung cancer risk overall [OR (95% CI) for the highest vs. lowest tertile = 0.51 (0.30-0.90)]. The inverse association remained significant among EAs [0.20 (0.06-0.65)], men [0.43 (0.21-0.90)], current smokers [0.49 (0.26-0.93)], and cases diagnosed within 2 years of blood draw [0.36 (0.15-0.86)], though we did not find a significant risk reduction among AAs [0.75 (0.39-1.45)]. Notably, we found significant interactions between α-tocopherol and race after controlling the FDR to correct for multiple comparisons (Pinteraction = 0.02). Conclusions: Our results indicate that plasma total-tocopherols are inversely associated with lung cancer risk, but the association may differ across specific isomeric forms of tocopherols, race, or other individuals' characteristics. Further large-scale studies are warranted to confirm our findings. Impact: Recommendations on tocopherols for lung cancer prevention should take isomers, race, and smoking behaviors into consideration.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was performed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and gastric cancer in East and Southeast Asia where most of gastric cancer is non-cardia gastric cancer. Methods: On the basis of 8,997 gastric cancer cases among the Asia Cohort Consortium participants from China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore (N = 538,835), we assessed gastric cancer risk according to BMI by calculating hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results: A U-shaped associations between BMI and gastric cancer risk were observed. Gastric cancer risks in underweight group (<18.5 kg/m2) and in obesity group (=27.5 kg/m2) were higher than reference BMI group (23-24.9 kg/m2; HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25 for underweight; HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22 for obesity, respectively). The associations of underweight and obesity with gastric cancer risk were consistent in the analyses for non-cardia gastric cancer, intestinal-type gastric cancer, and late-onset gastric cancer. No significant association of underweight and obesity with the risk of cardia gastric cancer, diffuse-type gastric cancer, and early-onset gastric cancer was observed. In addition, we found that the U-shaped association between BMI and gastric cancer risk remained in nonsmokers, while only underweight was related to increased gastric cancer risk in smokers. Conclusions: BMI has a U-shaped association with gastric cancer risk in East and Southeast Asian population, especially for the non-cardia gastric cancer, intestinal-type gastric cancer, and late-onset gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oncotype DX recurrence score (ODX RS) is a prognostic biomarker for early-stage, node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Whether test uptake, associated factors, and the test's prognostic values differ by race/ethnicity is unknown. Methods: From the National Cancer Database, 2010-2014, we identified 227,259 early-stage ER+, node-negative breast cancer cases. Logistic regression was used to examine ODX RS uptake and associated factors among non-Hispanic White (White), non-Hispanic Black (Black), Hispanic, and Asian American patients. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall mortality with ODX RS by race/ethnicity. Results: White patients were more likely to receive an ODX RS test compared with Black, Hispanic, and Asian American patients (36.7%, 32.8%, 31.6%, and 35.5%, respectively; P < 0.001). Disparities persisted after adjustments for demographics, clinical characteristics, and access-to-care, with rate ratios of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.85-0.88), 0.82 (95% CI, 0.80-0.85), and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.87-0.92), respectively, for Black, Hispanic, and Asian American compared with White patients. Black patients had higher proportions of high-risk scores (=26) compared with White, Hispanic, and Asian American patients (19.1%, 14.0%, 14.2%, and 15.6%, respectively; P < 0.0001). ODX RS was predictive for total mortality across all races/ethnicities, particularly younger patients (<50). No significant race/ethnicity interactions were observed. Conclusions: Although ODX RS uptake and risk distribution varied by race/ethnicity, ODX RS was prognostic for mortality across groups. Impact: These findings emphasize the importance of developing strategies to increase ODX RS uptake among racial/ethnic minorities and call for more investigations on potential racial/ethnic differences in breast cancer biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolomics is widely used to identify potential novel biomarkers for cancer risk. No investigation, however, has been conducted to prospectively evaluate the role of perturbation of metabolome in gastric cancer development. Methods: 250 incident cases diagnosed with primary gastric cancer were selected from the Shanghai Women's Health and the Shanghai Men's Health Study, and each was individually matched to one control by incidence density sampling. An untargeted global profiling platform was used to measure approximately 1,000 metabolites in prediagnostic plasma. Conditional logistic regression was utilized to generate ORs and P values. Results: Eighteen metabolites were associated with gastric cancer risk at P < 0.01. Among them, 11 metabolites were lysophospholipids or lipids of other classes; for example, 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-GPE (P-16:0) (OR = 1.56; P = 1.89 × 10-4). Levels of methylmalonate, a suggested biomarker of vitamin B12 deficiency, was correlated with increased gastric cancer risk (OR = 1.42; P = 0.004). Inverse associations were found for three biomarkers for coffee/tea consumption (3-hydroxypyridine sulfate, quinate and N-(2-furoyl) glycine), although the associations were only significant when comparing cases that were diagnosed within 5 years after the blood collection to matched controls. Most of the identified associations were more profound in women and never smokers than their male or ever smoking counterparts and some with notable significant interactions. Conclusions: Our study identified multiple potential risk biomarkers for gastric cancer independent of Helicobacter pylori infection and other major risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolomics is widely used to identify potential novel biomarkers for cancer risk. No investigation, however, has been conducted to prospectively evaluate the role of perturbation of metabolome in gastric cancer development. Methods: 250 incident cases diagnosed with primary gastric cancer were selected from the Shanghai Women's Health and the Shanghai Men's Health Study, and each was individually matched to one control by incidence density sampling. An untargeted global profiling platform was used to measure approximately 1,000 metabolites in prediagnostic plasma. Conditional logistic regression was utilized to generate ORs and P values. Results: Eighteen metabolites were associated with gastric cancer risk at P < 0.01. Among them, 11 metabolites were lysophospholipids or lipids of other classes; for example, 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-GPE (P-16:0) (OR = 1.56; P = 1.89 × 10-4). Levels of methylmalonate, a suggested biomarker of vitamin B12 deficiency, was correlated with increased gastric cancer risk (OR = 1.42; P = 0.004). Inverse associations were found for three biomarkers for coffee/tea consumption (3-hydroxypyridine sulfate, quinate and N-(2-furoyl) glycine), although the associations were only significant when comparing cases that were diagnosed within 5 years after the blood collection to matched controls. Most of the identified associations were more profound in women and never smokers than their male or ever smoking counterparts and some with notable significant interactions. Conclusions: Our study identified multiple potential risk biomarkers for gastric cancer independent of Helicobacter pylori infection and other major risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfill is a huge pathogen reservoir and needs special attention. Herein, the distribution and spread risk of pathogen were assessed in excavated landfill scenario. The results show that landfill excavation will greatly increase the risk of environmental microbial contamination. The highest total concentration of culturable bacteria among landfill refuse, topsoil and plant leaves was found to be as high as 1010 CFU g−1. Total coliforms , Hemolytic bacteria , Staphylococcus aureus , Salmonella , Enterococci , and Fecal coliforms were detected in the landfill surrounding environment. Notably, pathogens were more likely to adhere to plant leaves, making it an important source of secondary pathogens. The culturable bacteria concentration in the air samples differed with the landfill zone with different operation status, and the highest culturable bacteria concentration was found in the excavated area of the landfill (3.3 × 104 CFU m−3), which was the main source of bioaerosol release. The distribution of bioaerosols in the downwind outside of the landfill showed a tendency of increasing and then decreasing, and the highest concentration of bioaerosols outside of the landfill (6.56 × 104 CFU m−3) was significantly higher than that in the excavated area of the landfill. The risk of respiratory inhalation was the main pathway leading to infection, whereas the HQ in (population inhalation hazardous quotient) at 500 m downwind the excavation landfill was still higher than 1, indicating that the neighboring residents were exposed to airborne microbial pollutants. The results of the study provide evidence for bioaerosols control protective measures taken to reduce health risk from the excavated landfill. [Display omitted] • Microbe from landfill are more likely to attach to wood, paper, and plastic. • Landfill surrounding plants are greater barrier for microbial containment. • Excavation process will increase the emission of microbial. • Aerosol dispersion model shows effectively simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adherence to dietary recommendations has been shown to be associated with reduced mortality in healthy populations. Little is known about the possible benefits of adherence to dietary recommendations among breast cancer survivors. Methods: Dietary information was collected using food frequency questionnaires at the 5-year postdiagnosis survey in 3,450 5-year breast cancer survivors from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study. Adherence scores to Chinese Food Pagoda (CHFP)-2007, CHFP-2016, modified Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) were created. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for total mortality and breast cancer-specific events according to adherence scores. Results: Participants in the highest quartiles of CHFP-2007, CHFP-2016, and DASH had 25% to 34% lower risk of total mortality (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.48-0.89 for CHFP-2007; HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.55-1.01 for CHFP-2016; HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49-0.91 for DASH), and 36% to 40% lower risk of breast cancer-specific events (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.44-0.93 for CHFP-2007; HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45-0.99 for CHFP-2016; HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.40-0.90 for DASH) comparing with the lowest quartiles. Associations did not vary by known prognostic factors. HEI-2015 scores were not significantly associated with breast cancer outcomes. Conclusions: Higher adherence to CHFP and DASH dietary guidelines post-cancer diagnosis was associated with reduced risk of both overall death and breast cancer-specific recurrence or death among long-term breast cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, few epidemiologic studies have been conducted to elucidate lifestyle-related risk factors for multiple myeloma in Asia. We investigated the association of body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol intake with the risk of multiple myeloma mortality through a pooled analysis of more than 800,000 participants in the Asia Cohort Consortium. Methods: The analysis included 805,309 participants contributing 10,221,623 person-years of accumulated follow-up across Asia Cohort Consortium cohorts. HRs and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between BMI, smoking, and alcohol at baseline and the risk of multiple myeloma mortality were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model with shared frailty. Results: We observed a statistically significant dose-dependent association between BMI categories and the risk of multiple myeloma mortality (<18.5 kg/m²: HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.52-1.24; 18.5-24.9 kg/m²: reference; 25.0-29.9 kg/m²: HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.94-1.47; =30 kg/m²: HR = 1.61, 95% CI: 0.99-2.64, Ptrend = 0.014). By sex, this association was more apparent in women than in men (P for heterogeneity between sexes = 0.150). We observed no significant associations between smoking or alcohol consumption and risk of multiple myeloma mortality. Conclusions: This study showed that excess body mass is associated with an increased risk of multiple myeloma mortality among Asian populations. In contrast, our results do not support an association between smoking or alcohol consumption and the risk of multiple myeloma mortality in Asian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although fertilization plays an important role in determining the contents of soil dissolved organic matters or water-extractable organic matter (DOM, WEOM), knowledge regarding the dynamics, biodegradability, and microbial community shifts of WEOM in response to different fertilization treatments is very limited, particularly in rice–wheat cropping soil. Thus, in the present study, we performed biodegradation experiments using WEOM extracted from samples of soil that had been subjected to four different fertilization treatments: unfertilized control (CK), chemical fertilizer (CF), 50% chemical fertilizer plus pig manure (PMCF), and 100% chemical fertilizer plus rice straw (SRCF). UV spectrum and fluorescence 3D excitation–emission matrix analyses applied to investigate the chemical composition of WEOM revealed that all examined WEOMs were derived from microbial activity and the dominant portion comprised humic acid-like compounds. After the incubation, 31.17, 31.63, 43.47, and 33.01% of soil WEOM from CK, CF, PMCF, and SRCF treatments, respectively, were biodegraded. PMCF- derived WEOM had the highest biodegradation rate. High-throughput sequencing analyses performed to determine the microbial community before and after the incubation indicated that Sphingomonas , Bacillus , and Flavisolibacter were the predominant bacterial genera in the original inoculum derived from the four fertilization treatments. Following biodegradation, we observed that the dominant bacteria differed according to fertilization treatments: Curvibacter (43.25%) and Sphingobium (10.47%) for CK, Curvibacter (29.68%) and Caulobacter (20.00%) for CF, Azospirillum (23.68%) and Caulobacter (13.29%) for PMCF, and Ralstonia (51.75%) for SRCF. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that, shifts in the microbial community were closely correlated with pH and specific UV absorbance at 254 nm. We speculated that the inherent traits of different WEOM and the properties of soil solutions under different fertilization treatments shaped the soil microbial community structure, thereby influencing the biodegradation of WEOM. Image 1 • The dominant portion of the tested WEOM were humic acid-like compounds. • Fertilization influenced the dynamic and biodegradability of WEOM. • PMCF-derived WEOM had the highest biodegradation rate. • Diverse dominant bacteria utilized recalcitrant C from various fertilizer treatments. The paper revealed how fertilization treatments affect the decomposition of soil dissolved organic matters and the associated bacterial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Associations between physical activity and pancreatic cancer risk are unclear. Methods: In two prospective cohort studies, the Shanghai Women's Health Study and Shanghai Men's Health Study, physical activity and other information were collected at the baseline interview of 72,451 women and 60,037 men. Participants were followed up through annual linkage with a cancer registry in combination with in-person interviews taking place every 2 to 4 years. Results: We identified 225 female and 159 male cases during a median follow up of 16.1 and 10.3 years, respectively. Adult exercise participation was significantly associated with a decreased pancreatic cancer risk in men [hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71 (0.50-1.00)]. Meeting the recommended minimum exercise threshold to achieve health benefits of 150 min/week of moderate-intensity or 75 min/week of vigorous-intensity exercise was associated with further decreased pancreatic cancer risk [HR (95% CI): 0.59 (0.40-0.87)]. We also observed an inverse association between adolescent physical activity and pancreatic cancer risk in men [HR (95% CI): 0.54 (0.33-0.90)]. Exercise throughout one's lifetime was associated with a 68% decrease in pancreatic cancer risk [HR (95% CI): 0.32 (0.16-0.66)]. No significant association was found in women. Adult non-exercise daily activity and occupational activity were not associated with pancreatic cancer risk in either men or women. Conclusions: Adult exercise and adolescent physical activity were significantly associated with a decreased pancreatic cancer risk in men but not in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2- to 4-year-old uncastrated male Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altica) bred in a local wild animal park presented with generalized clinical signs including abdominal pain, fever, lethargy, and anorexia, along with subcutaneous nodules along the trunk. The patient subsequently died of chronic, progressive dyspnea despite 45 days of antibiotic treatment. At necropsy, mesenteric fat inflammation and multiple subcutaneous, peritoneal, and intraabdominal nodules were observed. The lungs demonstrated congestion and heavy coagulation, and necrotic foci were observed on the cut surface. Histopathologically, the nodules were identified as granulomatous fatty tissue with numerous lymphocytes, infiltration with lipid-laden macrophages, and fibrosis. These changes were also noted in the lung. The etiology of this condition remains undetermined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infection with Helicobacter pylori is the leading risk factor for noncardia gastric cancer, yet its influence on prognosis of gastric cancer is largely unknown. Thus, exploring the role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in survival could lead to a greater understanding of the high mortality associated with gastric cancer. Methods: Seropositivity to 15 H. pylori antigens was assessed using a multiplex assay in two prospective cohorts, the Shanghai Men's Health Study and the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between prediagnostic H. pylori antigen levels and gastric cancer-specific survival. Results: Prediagnostic levels of H. pylori serum antibodies that were previously associated with gastric cancer incidence in this population were not associated with gastric cancer survival, whether assessed in a 6-antigen panel [HR = 1.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.78-2.13 for men; HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.57-1.52 for women], focused on CagA+H. pylori (HR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.44-1.20 forwomen; HR = 1.27; 95% CI, 0.70-2.31 for men) or on the high-risk biomarkers of dual Omp and HP 0305 seropositivity (HR = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.72-1.30 for women; HR = 1.37; 95% CI, 0.97-1.94 for men). Conclusions: Prediagnostic H. pylori antigen levels are not associated with gastric cancer survival in East Asian populations. Impact: Identification of additional factors associated with gastric cancer survival would further our understanding of the high mortality associated with this malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Very little is known about the effect of modifiable lifestyle factors on outcomes of triple-negative breast cancer. We examined this association in a population-based prospective cohort study of patients with triple-negative breast cancer.Methods: A total of 518 women with confirmed triple-negative breast cancer, recruited by the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, completed 6-, 18-, 36-, and 60-month postdiagnosis surveys. We applied Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the associations.Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 53.4 (standard deviation = 10.6) years old. After a median follow-up of 9.1 years (range: 0.6-11.8), 128 deaths and 112 recurrences were documented. Exercise during the first 60 months postdiagnosis was inversely associated with total mortality and recurrence/disease-specific mortality with adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46, 0.96) and 0.58 (95% CI = 0.39, 0.86), respectively. Women with higher exercise-metabolic equivalent scores (≥7.6 metabolic equivalent-hours/week) and longer duration of exercise (≥2.5 hours/week) had lower risk of total and recurrence/disease-specific mortality than did nonexercisers. Compared with nontea drinkers, survival was better among women who were regular tea drinkers during the first 60 months for all cause (HR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.34, 0.93) and recurrence/disease-specific mortality (HR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.31, 0.96). There was no dose-response pattern for tea consumption. No interactions were observed for body mass index, menopausal status, and comorbidity.Conclusions: These findings show that postdiagnosis exercise and tea intake were associated with improved survival among women with triple-negative breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known regarding the role of early-life exercise, a potentially modifiable factor, in long-term adult morbidity and mortality. We utilized the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS) to investigate adolescent exercise in association with cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older women. Methods: The SWHS is a prospective cohort of 74,941 Chinese women ages 40 to 70 years recruited from 1996 to 2000. In-person interviews at enrollment assessed adolescent and adult exercise history, medical and reproductive history, and other lifestyle and socioeconomic (SES) factors. Mortality follow-up occurs via annual linkage to the Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were derived from Cox regression models. Results: Adjusting for birth year and other adolescent factors, adolescent exercise was associated with reduced risk of cancer, CVD, and total mortality [HRs (95% CI), 0.83 (0.72-0.95), 0.83 (0.70-0.98), and 0.78 (0.71-0.85), respectively for =1.33 hours (h)/week, and 0.83 (0.74-0.93), 0.62 (0.53-0.72), and 0.71 (0.66-0.77), respectively for >1.33 h/week (reference = none)]. Results were attenuated after adjustment for adult SES and lifestyle factors. Participation in sports teams was inversely associated with cancer mortality [HR (95% CI), 0.86 (0.76-0.97)]. Joint adolescent and adult exercise was associated with reduced risk of all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality [HRs (95% CIs), 0.80 (0.72-0.89), 0.83 (0.69-1.00), and 0.87 (0.74-1.01), respectively], adjusting for adult/adolescent factors, and adolescence exercise only was inversely associated with cancer mortality [HR (95% CI), 0.84 (0.71-0.98)]. Conclusions: Adolescent exercise participation, independent of adult exercise, was associated with reduced risk of cancer, CVD, and all-cause mortality. Impact: Results support promotion of exercise in adolescence to reduce mortality in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for civil engineering talents continues to grow with the popularity of network and the constant development of the Chinese economy. However, current demands cannot be met because of shortage in relevant teaching resources in universities and colleges. In this situation, distance network education becomes a popular approach for off-campus personnel to further their studies. Shareable content object reference model (SCORM) standards are widely used in the distance education system in the international arena. The model has become a wind indicator within the industry because of its efficient handling of problems related to cross-platform resource transfer. This research succeeds in developing a SCORM-based education management system targeted toward all civil engineering learners and features independent learning, track record, and information feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfidized nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) is a promising material for in situ soil remediation. However, its transformation (i.e., aging) and effects on the microbial community in soil ecosystems are largely unknown. In this study, S-nZVI having low (S-nZVI (L)) and high sulfur-doping (S-nZVI (H)) were incubated in soil microcosms and bare nZVI was used as a control. Their aged products were characterized using microspectroscopic analyses and the changes in the corresponding soil microbial community were determined using high-throughput sequencing analyses. The results indicate that severe corrosion of both bare and S-nZVI occurred over 56 days of aging with significant morphological and mineral changes. Magnetite, lepidocrocite, and goethite were detected as the main aged products. In addition, sulfate ions, pyrite, and iron polysulfide were formed in the aged products of S-nZVI. Cr(VI) removal test results indicated that S-nZVI(L) achieved the best results after aging, likely because of the optimal FeS arrangement on its nanoparticle surfaces. The presence of nZVI and S-nZVI increased the abundance of some magnetotactic microorganisms and altered bacterial and fungal community structures and compositions. Moreover, the addition of S-nZVI enriched some bacterial and fungal genera related to sulfur cycling because of the presence of sulfide-bearing material. The findings reveal the transformation of S-nZVI during aging and its effects on microbial communities in soil ecosystems, thereby helping to the evaluation of S-nZVI application in soil remediation. [Display omitted] • Sulfate ions and iron sulfides were formed in aged S-nZVI products in soil. • S-nZVI shifted bacterial and fungal community structures in soil ecosystems. • S-nZVI enriched some bacterial and fungal genera related to sulfur cycling in soil ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse method based on the numerical solution of Laplace's equation is introduced for the design of acoustic metamaterial devices. An arbitrary shaped acoustic concentrator and an external cloak are designed numerically and validated by full wave simulation. Besides, an acoustic reciprocal cloak and a field rotator are proposed. Compared with the analytical method, the inverse method is much more universal, and arbitrary shaped acoustic metamaterial devices can be flexibly designed without any knowledge of the transformation equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project and the effect of postdiagnosis consumption of cruciferous vegetables on breast cancer outcomes. Topics include glucosinolate-derived bioactive compounds like isothiocyanates, their inhibitory effect on cancer growth and progression, and the Project results on U.S. and Chinese breast cancer survivors. Results show no association between breast cancer recurrence or mortality and cruciferous vegetable consumption.

Abstract: In-situ stress is the key parameter for underground and slope rock engineering design optimization. Hydraulic fracturing method and trepanning stress relieving method are the two main in-situ stress measurement methods for the present, but both of the two methods have some disadvantages such as strict operating conditions, complicated operations, high cost, etc. which have not been overcome till now. With a case of high-steep open pit slope, the paper begins with hydraulic fracturing method to measure the in-situ stress and then, on this basis, based on plane stress condition, the paper adopts acoustic emission method to measure the horizontal maximum principle stress and its direction. It indicates that the test results of acoustic emission are consistent with that of hydraulic fracturing method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses a prospective cohort study on the use of vitamin supplements during breast cancer treatment and survival. According to the authors, antioxidants could protect normal cells from the oxidative damage that occurs during radiotherapy and certain chemotherapy treatments. The authors conducted a population-based prospective cohort study of 4,877 women aged 20 to 75 years diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in Shanghai, China between March 2002 and April 2006.

The article discusses a study that evaluated the intra-person variation of four urinary biomarkers among selected participants in the Shanghai Men's Health Study. The Spearman correlation coefficients are given. The study suggested that four urinary biomarkers have relatively low intra-person variation over a one-year period. It identified useful biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation status for epidemiologic studies.

The article presents a study on the association of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) and risk for colorectal cancer among Chinese women. It examined dietary fatty acid consumption which was derived from food frequency questionnaires. Results show a trend on the increase of n-6 to n-3 PUFA ratio and production increase of prostaglandin based on the measurement of urinary PGE2 metabolites. The study suggests that ratio of n-6 to n-3 PUFA can be associated with colorectal cancer risk.

In the high-volume manufacturing of advanced integrated circuits (ICs), the reproducibility of the gate physical dimension and profile, variation reduction, and control are very important. Continuous running of a gate hardmask etching postprocess switch in fluorocarbon plasma encounters the problems of the gate critical dimension shrinking and the oxide etch rate decreasing as the wafer Count increases. To reveal the mechanism and control process shift, optical emission spectroseopy is employed to investigate plasma gas phase and quartz crystal microbalance is employed to investigate real-time polymer deposition on the chamber wall. CF2 concentration in plasma is found being strong, correlating with the polymer coverage amount on the chamber wall. The mechanism of the plasma-wall interaction is illustrated. The successive decrease of polymer on the chamber wall reduces CF2 radical density in plasma, which results in gate critical dimension shrinkage and oxide etch rate reduction. The relative CF2 optical emission intensity is thus proposed to monitor the chamber wall condition and control the gate hardmask critical dimension from run to run to ensure process reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the use of oligonucleotide microarray diagnostic technique in the detection of porcine three viral infections. It mentions that assymetrical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems coupled with oligonucleotide microarray was developed to identify rapid and specifically multiple viral infections of swine. It notes that a flourescent signal above the background noise, during the test, will determine the presence of virulence genes.