Vegetables are known to be beneficial to human health, but the association between vegetable consumption and gastric cancer remains uncertain. To synthesise knowledge about the relationship between vegetable group consumption and gastric cancer risk, update present meta-analyses and estimate associations between vegetable consumption and gastric cancer risk based solely on prospective studies, we perform a PRISMA-compliant three-level meta-analysis. Systematic search identified thirteen prospective studies with fifty-two effect sizes that met all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria for our meta-analysis. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) showed a positive association between high vegetable consumption and low gastric cancer risk (pooled RR 0·93, 95% confidence interval 0·90–0·97, P = 0·06). In moderator analyses for indicators of gender, region and quantity of vegetable intake, there was no significant difference between subgroups. However, the effect became significant in populations with lower than the minimum risk exposure level (TMREL) of vegetable consumption (P < 0·05). Higher vegetable intake is associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer. This effect may be limited to specific populations, such as ones with lower vegetable consumption. Evidence from our study has important public health implications for dietary recommendations.

In this paper, a 2D angle amplifier based on peristrophic multiplexed volume Bragg gratings is designed and prepared, in which a calculation method is firstly proposed to optimize the number of channels to a minimum. The induction of peristrophic multiplexing reduces the performance difference in one bulk of the grating, whereas there is no need to deliberately optimize the fabrication process. It is revealed that a discrete 2D angle deflection range of ±30° is obtained and the relative diffraction efficiency of all the grating channels reaches more than 55% with a root-mean-square deviation of less than 3.4% in the same grating. The deviation of the Bragg incidence and exit angles from the expected values is less than 0.07°. It is believed that the proposed 2D angle amplifier has the potential to realize high-performance and large-angle beam steering in high-power laser beam scanning systems.

The codling moth Cydia pomonella is a major pest of global significance impacting pome fruits and walnuts. It threatens the apple industry in the Loess Plateau and Bohai Bay in China. Sterile insect technique (SIT) could overcome the limitations set by environmentally compatible area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) approaches such as mating disruption and attract-kill that are difficult to suppress in a high-density pest population, as well as the development of insecticide resistance. In this study, we investigated the effects of X-ray irradiation (183, 366, 549 Gy) on the fecundity and fertility of a laboratory strain of C. pomonella, using a newly developed irradiator, to evaluate the possibility of X-rays as a replacement for Cobalt60 (60Co-γ) and the expanded future role of this approach in codling moth control. Results show that the 8th-day is the optimal age for irradiation of male pupae. The fecundity decreased significantly as the dosage of radiation increased. The mating ratio and mating number were not influenced. However, treated females were sub-sterile at a radiation dose of 183 Gy (20.93%), and were almost 100% sterile at a radiation dose of 366 Gy or higher. Although exposure to a radiation dose of 366 Gy resulted in a significant reduction in the mating competitiveness of male moths, our radiation biology results suggest that this new generation of X-ray irradiator has potential applications in SIT programs for future codling moth control.

Vitamin D, Ca and dairy products are negatively associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence, but little is known of their influence on CRC survival. To investigate prediagnostic intakes of vitamin D, Ca and dairy products for their relevance to CRC prognosis, we analysed 504 CRC patients enrolled in the Newfoundland Colorectal Cancer Registry Cohort Study who were diagnosed for the first time with CRC between 1999 and 2003. Follow-up for mortality and cancer recurrence was through April 2010. Data on diet and lifestyle factors were gathered via a validated, semi-quantitative FFQ and a Personal History Questionnaire. Multivariate Cox models estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI for the relationship of prediagnostic intakes of vitamin D, Ca and dairy products with all-cause mortality (overall survival, OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) among CRC patients. We found that prediagnostic Ca intake from foods, but not total Ca intake, was negatively associated with all-cause mortality (HR for Q2 v. Q1, 0·44; 95 % CI, 0·26, 0·75). An inverse relationship was also seen in a dose–response fashion for prediagnostic cheese intake (HR for Q4 v. Q1, 0·57, 95 % CI, 0·34, 0·95, P trend = 0·029). No evidence for modification by sex, physical activity, alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking was observed. In summary, high prediagnostic intakes of cheese and Ca from foods may be associated with increased survival among CRC patients. By manipulating diet, this study may contribute to the development of novel therapies that add to the armamentarium against CRC. Replication studies are required before any nutritional interventions are made available.

Studies have indicated that psychological stress impairs human fertility and that various stressors can induce apoptosis of testicular cells. However, the mechanisms by which psychological stress on males reduces semen quality and stressors induce apoptosis in testicular cells are largely unclear. Using a psychological (restraint) stress mouse model, we tested whether male psychological stress triggers apoptosis of spermatozoa and spermatogenic cells through activating tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α signalling. Wild-type or TNF-α−/− male mice were restrained for 48 h before examination for apoptosis and expression of TNF-α and TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) in spermatozoa, epididymis, seminiferous tubules and spermatogenic cells. The results showed that male restraint significantly decreased fertilization rate and mitochondrial membrane potential, while increasing levels of malondialdehyde, active caspase-3, TNF-α and TNFR1 in spermatozoa. Male restraint also increased apoptosis and expression of TNF-α and TNFR1 in caudae epididymides, seminiferous tubules and spermatogenic cells. Sperm quality was also significantly impaired when spermatozoa were recovered 35 days after male restraint. The restraint-induced damage to spermatozoa, epididymis and seminiferous tubules was significantly ameliorated in TNF-α−/− mice. Furthermore, incubation with soluble TNF-α significantly reduced sperm motility and fertilizing potential. Taken together, the results demonstrated that male psychological stress induces apoptosis in spermatozoa and spermatogenic cells through activating the TNF-α system and that the stress-induced apoptosis in spermatogenic cells can be translated into impaired quality in future spermatozoa.

The Hmu language is spoken by approximately 1,250,000 people who reside in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (黔东南苗族侗族自治州), Guizhou Province (贵州省), the People's Republic of China (Wang & Mao 1995: 3–4; Lewis, Simons & Fenning 2016).

Previously known to form only under high pressure synthetic conditions, here we report that the T′-type 214-structure cuprate based on the rare earth atom Tb is stabilized for ambient pressure synthesis through partial substitution of Pd for Cu. The new material is obtained in purest form for mixtures of nominal composition Tb1.96Cu0.8Pd0.2O4. The refined formula, in orthorhombic space group Pbca, with a = 5.5117(1) Å, b = 5.5088(1) Å, and c = 11.8818(1) Å, is Tb2Cu0.83Pd0.17O4. An incommensurate structural modulation is seen along the a axis by electron diffraction and high resolution imaging. Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal long-range antiferromagnetic ordering at 7.9 K, with a less pronounced feature at 95 K; a magnetic moment reorientation transition is observed to onset at a field of approximately 1.1 T at 3 K. The material is an n-type semiconductor.

The phenomenon of multiple transactions at each recording time is a common occurrence for high-frequency financial data because of the heavy trading of the market and limitation of the recording mechanism. This situation has existed for many years, but has become more common in recent years because of heavier trading. Surprisingly, there have been few studies on this important issue, in spite of some ad hoc approaches to treat multiple transactions. In this paper we investigate how to handle multiple transactions, particularly in the context of estimating the integrated volatility and integrated quarticity, which are of great interest in financial econometrics. Two approaches are proposed for this purpose, and their asymptotic properties are investigated. Their performances are confirmed by simulation studies. The estimators are also applied to some real world problems. The work represents only the first step in this direction, and some future research problems are discussed.

Fabrication of graphene nanostructures it is important for both investigating their intrinsic physical properties and applying them into various functional devices. In this work we present a study on atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al2O3 to produce patterned graphene through area-selective chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. A systematic parametric study was conducted to determine how the number of cycles and the purging time affect the morphology and the electrical properties of both graphene and Al2O3 layers.

This paper presents a novel metamaterial constructed with wires, spheres and hollow slabs (WSHS), which simultaneously exhibits negative permittivity and permeability. An electromagnetic wave simulation is performed based on the proposed metamaterial and shows that a negative refractive index is achieved for this metamaterial. Adjusting the lattice constant of the unit cell is an easy way to manipulate the frequency of negative index of this structure. A left-hand material prism is designed composed of metamaterial unit cells and the simulation on the proposed prism proves the left-hand behavior of the designed metamaterial.

This paper presents the fabrication technology and initial characterization of electrolyte-gated field effect transistor (FET) arrays based on CVD grown graphene on copper. We show that the graphene FET (GFET), when immersed in electrolytes, exhibit a transconductance around 5 mS/mm. From preliminary pH sensing experiments, a pH sensitivity of 24 mV/pH has been demonstrated.

Six transgenic maize lines with the fully modified gene GFM Cry1A were obtained and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of their T5 generation plants indicated that foreign genes could be stably inherited. Three hybrids (Simi25Bt, Tongdan24Bt and Jidan209Bt) were created using the transgenic lines and combined with regular maize inbred lines. The results of resistance identification of the transgenic inbred lines and hybrids showed that the difference of resistance among transgenic lines was very significant; there also existed a difference among individuals of the same line and among the three hybrids. Compared with the control inbred line (CK), the average of four transgenic inbred lines in the number of tunnels per stalk, larval tunnel length per plant and length of surviving larvae were decreased by 70%, 80% and 70%, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing showed that the average of Bt Cry1A protein expression level for six transgenic inbred lines was 0.16% total protein and the highest expression level was 0.19%. At maturity, compared with the control variety (CK), the larval tunnel length per plant of the three hybrids (Simi25Bt, Tongdan24Bt and Jidan209Bt) was decreased by 39.97%, 36.20% and 53.83%, respectively, which was a decrease of 43.36% on average. The investigation of agronomic characters showed that there was no significant difference between the improved hybrids and the control in plant height, ear length, row number per ear, kernel number per row and 100-kernels weight. It is thought that the GFM Cry1A gene can be applied to improve resistance to corn-borer, and maize inbred lines with the Bt gene can be directly applied to conventional maize breeding.

Nanostructured thermoelectric materials have attracted lots of interest in recent years, due to their enhanced performance determined by their thermoelectric dimensionless figure of merit. However, because of equipment limitations, not much work has been done on combining simultaneous transport measurements and structural characterization on individual nanostructured thermoelectric materials. With an integrated TEM-STM system, we studied the structural behavior and electrical properties of bismuth (Bi) nanobelts and nanoparticles. Results showed that clean Bi nanostructures free of oxides can be produced by in-situ high temperature electro-migration and Joule annealing processes occurring within the electron microscope. Preliminary electrical measurements indicate a conductivity of two orders of magnitude lower for Bi nanoparticles than that for bulk Bi. Such in-situ studies are highly advantageous for studying the semimetal-semiconductor transition and how this transition could enhance thermoelectric properties.