bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
U-shaped Association Between Dietary Zinc Intake and New-onset Diabetes: A Nationwide Cohort Study in China
Authors: He Panpan , Li Huan , Liu Mengyi , Zhang Zhuxian , Zhang Yuanyuan , Zhou Chun , Li Qinqin , Liu Chengzhang , Qin Xianhui 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Aims
We aimed to investigate the relationship of dietary zinc intake with new-onset diabetes among Chinese adults.

Materials and Methods
A total of 16 257 participants who were free of diabetes at baseline from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were included. Dietary intake was measured by 3 consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls combined with a household food inventory. Participants with self-reported physician-diagnosed diabetes, or fasting glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L, or glycated hemoglobin ≥ 6.5% during the follow-up were defined as having new-onset diabetes.

Results
A total of 1097 participants developed new-onset diabetes during a median follow-up duration of 9.0 years. Overall, the association between dietary zinc intake and new-onset diabetes followed a U-shape (P for nonlinearity &lt; 0.001). The risk of new-onset diabetes was significantly lower in participants with zinc intake &lt; 9.1 mg/day (per mg/day: hazard ratio [HR], 0.73; 95% CI, 0.60-0.88), and higher in those with zinc intake ≥ 9.1 mg/day (per mg/day: HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.07-1.13). Consistently, when dietary zinc intake was assessed as deciles, compared with those in deciles 2-8 (8.9 -&lt;12.2 mg/day), the risk of new-onset diabetes was higher for decile 1 (&lt;8.9 mg/day: HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.04-1.62), and deciles 9 to 10 (≥12.2 mg/day: HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.38-1.90). Similar U-shaped relations were found for plant-derived or animal-derived zinc intake with new-onset diabetes (all P for nonlinearity &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
There was a U-shaped association between dietary zinc intake and new-onset diabetes in general Chinese adults, with an inflection point at about 9.1 mg/day.
Patterns of variations in dorsal colouration of the Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus
Authors: Storniolo Federico , Zuffi Marco A. L. , Coladonato Alan J. , Di Vozzo Loris , Giglio Gianni , Gini Andrea E. , Leonetti Francesco L. , Luccini Simone , Mangiacotti Marco , Scali Stefano , Abate Federico , Sperone Emilio , Tatini Irene , Sacchi Roberto 
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT
Research on animal colouration has grown exponentially in the last decade thanks to multidisciplinary approaches. Most studies are focused on trade-offs between communication and mimicry, which represent the two main constraints and drivers of the evolution of body colourations. Reptiles are excellent model species for investigating this field of study and lizards in particular show great variability of body colourations and their functions. We studied the lizard Podarcis siculus, analysing the variations of dorsal colour of three populations and obtained clear patterns of seasonal and ontogenetical variation of dorsal colour. According to baseline colour, males were greener and brighter than females, although no difference in saturation was recorded. According to seasonal variations, analyses showed that both sexes significantly vary in colour over the year: males reached higher peaks of hue and saturation later than females during spring, while females showed higher peaks of brightness and reached earlier similarly to hue and saturation. Ontogenetic variations were recorded only in males, which become greener, less bright and saturated with growing size. Therefore, our results suggest the occurrence of two opposing strategies in colour expression between sexes: males’ dorsal colouration plays a major role in communication, while females are more crypsis-oriented.
Psychological and clinical-epidemiological profile of poisoning in Nepal: an institutional experience
Authors: Basnet Angela , Shrestha Dhan , Chaulagain Sabin , Thapa Ashok , Khadka Manoj , Regmi Bishal , Khadka Manita , Adhikari Kabita , Thapa Anil Jung , Pokharel Sakar , Singh Kaushal Kumar , Syangtang Prajwal , Adhikari Surakchha 
Published: August 2021

Background Poisoning has become a major public health problem, with the intent in most cases being self-harm and commit suicide. This study highlights the psychological and clinical-epidemiological profile of patients visiting Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital after poisoning. Methods This retrospective record-based study was done among poisoning patients of a hospital in Nepal from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2020. Data were analyzed using STATA version-15. Results Out of 134 total poisoning cases, 71 had consumed organophosphate compounds. The majority of the cases were female (59.2% in organophosphate groups, 69.8% in non-organophosphate groups). The circumstances of poisoning were mostly suicidal (95.8% in organophosphate groups, 90.5% in non-organophosphate groups) and the reasons for this being mostly family disputes. Organophosphate groups had 8.41 times higher odds of having complications when compared to non-organophosphorus compounds. Conclusions The majority of the poisoning cases were suicidal in nature and family disputes being the major reason for the intake of a poisonous substance. This demands that more attention be given to psychological and family counseling to resolve any disputes, as well as psychological management of poisoning cases after medical management. Also, a strong regulatory mechanism should be imposed to control the easy access to poisonous substances.
Comparison of the effect on postoperative pain between instrumentation with and without connected electronic apex locator: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Pham Khoa Van , Hoang Cuong 
Published: August 2021

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the postoperative pain between root canal instrumentation with unconnected electronic apex locator and instrumentation with connected electronic apex locator. Methods: Forty-two patients were randomly divided into two groups (n=21). Group 1 was treated using the traditional endodontic motor with unconnected electronic apex locator (EAL) and group 2 was treated using the endodontic motor with connected EAL. All teeth were treated in single-visit endodontic therapy. Postoperative pain levels at 6, 24, 48, 72 h and 1 week were recorded by patients. The data were collected and analyzed using the χ2, and Mann-Whitney U tests with significance at 0.05. Results: Postoperative pain levels were significantly reduced by half at 6 hours in both experimental groups; however, no significant differences were found in postoperative pain levels between the two groups at all considered times. The postoperative pain levels using a percussion test were reduced on day 7 in both groups, and there was no significant difference in this variable between two groups. Conclusions: Both groups have a similar effect on reduction of the postoperative pain for endodontic patients undergoing root canal.
Self-reported disability in rural Malawi: prevalence, incidence, and relationship to chronic conditions
Authors: Prynn Josephine E. , Dube Albert , Mwaiyeghele Elenaus , Mwiba Oddie , Geis Steffen , Koole Olivier , Nyirenda Moffat , Kuper Hannah , Crampin Amelia C. 
Published: August 2021

Background: Disability is a complex concept involving physical impairment, activity limitation, and participation restriction. The Washington Group developed a set of questions on six functional domains (seeing, hearing, walking, remembering, self-care, and communicating) to allow collection of comparable data on disability. We aimed to improve understanding of prevalence and correlates of disability in this low-income setting in Malawi. Methods: This study is nested in the Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Malawi; the Washington Group questions were added to the annual survey in 2014. We used cross-sectional data from the 2014 survey to estimate the current prevalence of disability and examine associations of disability with certain chronic conditions. We then reviewed the incidence and resolution of disability over time using panel data from the 2015 survey. Results: Of 10,863 participants, 9.6% (95% CI 9.0-10.1%) reported disability in at least one domain. Prevalence was higher among women and increased with age. Diabetes and obesity were associated with disability among women, and diabetes was also associated with disability among men. Neither hypertension nor HIV were associated with disability. Participants reporting “no difficulty” or “can’t do at all” for any domain were likely to report the same status one year later, whereas there was considerable movement between people describing “some difficulty” and “a lot of difficulty”. Conclusions: Disability prevalence is high and likely to increase over time. Further research into the situation of this population is crucial to ensure inclusive policies are created and sustainable development goals are met.
Modulation format recognition based on constellation diagrams and the
Hough transform
Authors: Mohamed Safie El-Din Nasr , Al-Makhlasawy Rasha M. , Khalaf Ashraf A. M. , Dessouky Moawad I. , Abd El-Samie Fathi E. 
Published: August 2021

High-speed wireless communication is necessary in our personal lives, in both working and living spaces. This paper presents a scheme for wireless optical modulation format recognition (MFR) based on the Hough transform (HT). The HT is used to project constellation diagrams onto another space for efficient feature extraction. Constellation diagrams are obtained at optical signal-to-noise ratios (OSNR) ranging from 5 to 30 dB for eight different modulation formats (2/4/8/16 phase-shift keying and 8/16/32/64 QAM). Different classifiers are used for the task of MFR: AlexNet, VGG16, and VGG19. A study of the effect of varying the number of samples on the accuracy of the classifiers is provided for each modulation format. To evaluate the proposed scheme, the efficiency of the three classifiers is studied at different values of OSNR. The obtained results reveal that the proposed scheme succeeds in identifying the wireless optical modulation format blindly with a classification accuracy up to 100%, even at low OSNR values less than 10 dB.
Detection of anti-M. leprae antibodies in children in leprosy-endemic areas: A systematic review
Authors: Pierneef Louise , van Hooij Anouk , Taal Anneke , Rumbaut Raisa , Nobre Mauricio Lisboa , van Brakel Wim , Geluk Annemieke 
Published: August 2021

Background
Leprosy elimination primarily targets transmission of Mycobacterium leprae which is not restricted to patients’ households. As interruption of transmission is imminent in many countries, a test to detect infected asymptomatic individuals who can perpetuate transmission is required. Antibodies directed against M. leprae antigens are indicative of M. leprae infection but cannot discriminate between active and past infection. Seroprevalence in young children, however, reflects recent M. leprae infection and may thus be used to monitor transmission in an area. Therefore, this literature review aimed to evaluate what has been reported on serological tests measuring anti-M. leprae antibodies in children without leprosy below the age of 15 in leprosy-endemic areas.

Methods and findings
A literature search was performed in the databases Pubmed, Infolep, Web of Science and The Virtual Health Library. From the 724 articles identified through the search criteria, 28 full-text articles fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Two additional papers were identified through snowballing, resulting in a total of 30 articles reporting data from ten countries. All serological tests measured antibodies against phenolic glycolipid-I or synthetic derivatives thereof, either quantitatively (ELISA or UCP-LFA) or qualitatively (ML-flow or NDO-LID rapid test). The median seroprevalence in children in endemic areas was 14.9% and was stable over time if disease incidence remained unchanged. Importantly, seroprevalence decreased with age, indicating that children are a suitable group for sensitive assessment of recent M. leprae infection. However, direct comparison between areas, solely based on the data reported in these studies, was impeded by the use of different tests and variable cut-off levels.

Conclusions
Quantitative anti-PGL-I serology in young children holds promise as a screening test to assess M. leprae infection and may be applied as a proxy for transmission and thereby as a means to monitor the effect of (prophylactic) interventions on the route to leprosy elimination.
Feasibility and acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 testing and surveillance in primary school children in England: Prospective, cross-sectional study
Authors: Aiano Felicity , Jones Samuel E. I. , Amin-Chowdhury Zahin , Flood Jessica , Okike Ifeanyichukwu , Brent Andrew , Brent Bernadette , Beckmann Joanne , Garstang Joanna , Ahmad Shazaad , Baawuah Frances , Ramsay Mary E. , Ladhani Shamez N. 
Published: August 2021

Background
The reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about widespread infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in educational settings. In June 2020, Public Health England (PHE) initiated prospective national surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in primary schools across England (sKIDs). We used this opportunity to assess the feasibility and agreeability of large-scale surveillance and testing for SARS-CoV-2 infections in school among staff, parents and students.

Methods
Staff and students in 131 primary schools were asked to complete a questionnaire at recruitment and provide weekly nasal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing (n = 86) or swabs with blood samples for antibody testing (n = 45) at the beginning and end the summer half-term. In six blood sampling schools, students were asked to complete a pictorial questionnaire before and after their investigations.

Results
In total, 135 children aged 4–7 years (n = 40) or 8–11 years (n = 95) completed the pictorial questionnaire fully or partially. Prior to sampling, oral fluid sampling was the most acceptable test (107/132, 81%) followed by throat swabs (80/134, 59%), nose swabs (77/132, 58%), and blood tests (48/130, 37%). Younger students were more nervous about all tests than older students but, after completing their tests, most children reported a “better than expected” experience with all the investigations. Students were more likely to agree to additional testing for nose swabs (93/113, 82%) and oral fluid (93/114, 82%), followed by throat swabs (85/113, 75%) and blood tests (72/108, 67%). Parents (n = 3,994) and staff (n = 2,580) selected a preference for weekly testing with nose swabs, throat swabs or oral fluid sampling, although staff were more flexible about testing frequency.

Conclusions
Primary school staff and parents were supportive of regular tests for SARS-CoV-2 and selected a preference for weekly testing. Children preferred nose swabs and oral fluids over throat swabs or blood sampling.
Characterization of linear epitope specificity of antibodies potentially contributing to spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus
Authors: Ahsan Asma , Dar Saira , Hassan Fareeha , Ghafoor Farkhanda , Yousuf Muhammad Haroon , Shahzad-ul-Hussan Syed 
Published: August 2021

Background
Around 30% of the HCV infected patients can spontaneously clear the virus. Cumulative evidence suggests the role of neutralizing antibodies in such spontaneous resolution. Understanding the epitope specificity of such antibodies will inform the rational vaccine design as such information is limited to date. In addition to conformational epitope targeted antibodies, linear epitope specific antibodies have been identified that are broadly cross reactive against diverse HCV strains. In this study, we have characterized the potential role of three conserved linear epitopes in the spontaneous clearance of HCV.

Methods
We tested the reactivity of sera from chronic patients (CP) and spontaneous resolvers (SR) with linear peptides corresponding to three conserved regions of HCV envelope protein E2 spanning amino acids 412–423, 523–532 and 432–443 using ELISA. Subsequently, we characterized the dependency of HCV neutralization by the reactive serum samples on the antibodies specific for these epitopes using pseudoparticle-based neutralization assay.
In ELISA most of the CP sera showed reactivity to multiple peptides while most of the SR samples were reactive to a single peptide suggesting presence of more specific antibodies in the SR sera. In most of the HCVpp neutralizing sera of particular peptide reactivity the neutralization was significantly affected by the presence of respective peptide. HCV neutralization by CP sera was affected by multiple peptides while 75% of the HCVpp neutralizing SR sera were competed by the 432 epitope.

Conclusions
These findings suggest that individuals who spontaneously resolve HCV infection at the acute phase, can produce antibodies specific for conserved linear epitopes, and those antibodies can potentially play a role in the spontaneous viral clearance. The epitope present in the 432–443 region of E2 was identified as the primary neutralizing epitope with potential role in spontaneous viral clearance and this epitope potentiates for the design of immunogen for prophylactic vaccine.
A cegueira de Saramago para além da literatura em sala de aula
Authors: Vieira Cássia Stefanini 
Published: August 2021

A primeira reação que temos ao nos depararmos com uma situação atípica é a negação. Estar completamente vulnerável e fora da nossa zona de conforto pode ser uma oportunidade de aprendermos a lidar com nós mesmos, embora este não seja o pensamento à priori. Ressignificar nosso lugar no mundo é uma tarefa árdua, mas quando se está disposto a tirar as amarras da cegueira, o processo pode ser menos angustiante do que se imagina. Por isso, o propósito deste trabalho é promover o desenvolvimento das competências socioemocionais a partir da obra Ensaio sobre a cegueira, do escritor português José Saramago. A Experiência aqui desenvolvida com os alunos do ensino médio da Etec de Cotia, no Estado de São Paulo, conduz a um novo olhar sobre o papel da literatura em sala de aula, além de seu poder transformador em cada um de nós.
Palavras-chave: José Saramago; Competências Socioemocionais; Literatura.
Retórica e romance histórico
Authors: Lavinia Silvares  
Published: August 2021

Este artigo discute alguns aspectos da incorporação do âmbito histórico no romance a partir de um breve exame da obra The Antiquary (1816), de Walter Scott. Para isso, propõe-se um recorte histórico-temático que assume, por um lado, a permanência fragmentada da Retórica na Europa do século XVIII e de toda uma tradição de subgêneros narrativos vinculados a ela; e, por outro, um crescente mercado de bens culturais a que se vinculam noções como “originalidade”, “propriedade intelectual”, “autoria/autoridade”, entre outras (Cf. WATT, 2007, p. 15; HANSEN, 2008, p. 213). Relendo a clássica noção lukacsiana da “natureza descontínuo-heterogênea” do romance (LUKÁCS, 2000, p. 101), propõe-se aqui que o protagonismo do antiquário na obra de Scott logra articular passado e presente por um viés intencionalmente paradoxal, figurando o perspectivismo histórico que é a base do romance moderno.
Palavras-chave: Romance histórico; Retórica; Walter Scott.
Noise Level Analysis of KM. Sabuk Nusantara 71 to Increase Ship Passengers Comfort Based on BKI Rules
Authors: Sugeng Sunarso , Ridwan Mohammad , Sulaiman Sulaiman , Khristyson Samuel Febriary 
Published: August 2021

Noise is an unwanted sound or sound source which can distract or harm human health and comfort. According to experts, a sound that exceeds the level of human listening senses can cause deafness. Such danger can also be found in ships. An alternative to reduce noise in ships is by modifying the construction. This research aims to compare noising before and after adding a side deck girder in the engine room of a 2000 DWT ship. The result showed that in the engine room, after adding a FB 180 x 8 mm FP 75 x 10 mm sized T profile, for 0-30 seconds intervals, the maximum noise was down from 127 dB to 62 dB or a 0.47% decrease. Meanwhile, the maximum noise was down from 98.6 dB to 57 dB in the accommodation room or decreased by 0.41%. The maximum noise was down from 83 dB to 37 dB or a 0.56% decrease in the navigation room. Such modification had reduced the average noise range from 80-40 dB to 55-20 dB.
Technical Reasoning on a Local Government Land Property as Heuristic Tool to Accommodate City Leaders Strategic Planning
Authors: Wahyuddin Yasser , Sudarsono Bambang 
Published: August 2021

One of the Land Asset Management facets in Indonesia has been so far the possession of the land as an asset for local government. The regulation allows local government to organize local land assets to support land use planning in various patterns. While at the same time, Indonesia has a rigorous rule on land use planning with Euclidean Zoning System called RTRW Plan, which lasts for 20 years. Land use patterns could not be ruled by projecting a specific order, ideology, technical stances, etc. This article would like to contextualize a dynamic in which city leader infrastructure strategic planning was being technically anticipated by filtering out the feasibility of local land asset which meet the minimum requirement of the RTRW as the principal reference for spatial land use planning. This article does not necessarily address its aim at problematizing RTRW; rather, in the first place, it discusses the vigorous of the local government technical department to bridge a so-called City Leader strategic planning with the current systems of the RTRW. Here, the article would argue that a tiny time frame of the City Leader's order leaves a narrow space for technical staff to map out a holistic technical plan. Instead, opting for a specific local land asset appeared to be the instant solution to such a plan. Furthermore, the second concern of this article specified its attention on providing the technical means so that the choice of the predetermined location was constructively and objectively justified beforehand. A specific case study of Pekalongan Regency, Central Java Indonesia, allowed delving into the empirical case. The city leader was at the last year of his terms, and it was claimed, the choice to develop hospital infrastructure was part of a political maneuver. A qualitative approach in the form of in-depth interviews and compilation of secondary documents was employed. The city technical managers needed to operate rational technocratic mechanisms to the politico-technique juxtaposition to justify the planning problem's technical rationality and the other side to provide a technical solution, pointing out land assets under the framework of the RTRW. Thus, the arguments developed in this work contested the land choice technical assessments were not necessarily neutral rather a supporting element to adjust the overwhelming leader's strategic choice fully. Further discussion materials are proposed. In this case, the political strategy created a circumstance of instantaneity and a limited time frame that could lead to the enthusiasm of strategic thinking under the realm of the urban planning system.
Variant readings in the so-called Tbilisi hymn to Dionysus
Authors: Kayachev Boris 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
The papyrus on which the so-called Tbilisi hymn to Dionysus survives (P. Ross. Georg. I 11 [LDAB 4911 = MP3 01861.000]) is remarkable for preserving, along with the hymn’s text, a number of marginal and interlinear variant readings, which, interpreted as authorial variants, have led to the conclusion that the papyrus represents an autograph draft. As the present study argues, it is in fact more likely that the variants belong to a copyist or reviser rather than to the hymn’s author.