bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by cataract: A meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020
Authors: Pesudovs Konrad , Study N/A Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease ,   GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Background
To estimate global and regional trends from 2000-2020 of the number of persons visually impaired by cataract and their proportion of the total number of vision-impaired individuals.
Methods
A systematic review and meta-analysis of published population studies and grey literature from 2000-2020 was carried out to estimate global and regional trends. We developed prevalence estimates based on modelled distance visual impairment and blindness due to cataract, producing location-, year-, age-, and sex-specific estimates of moderate to severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual acuity <6/18,≥3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60). Estimates are age-standardised using the GBD standard population.
Results
In 2020, among overall (all ages) 43.3 million blind and 295 million with MSVI, 17.0 million (39.6%) people were blind and 83.5 million (28.3%) had MSVI due to cataract; blind 60% female, MSVI 59% female. From 1990-2020, the count of persons blind (MSVI) due to cataract increased by 29.7%(93.1%) whereas the age-standardized global prevalence of cataract-related blindness improved by -27.5% and MSVI increased by 7.2%. The contribution of cataract to the age-standardized prevalence of blindness exceeded the global figure only in South Asia (62.9%) and Southeast Asia and Oceania (47.9%).
Conclusions:
Vision impairment due to cataract has risen over the past 30 years, despite a decrease in the age-standardized prevalence of cataract. This indicates that cataract treatment programs have been beneficial, but population growth and aging have outpaced their impact. Growing numbers of cataract blind indicate that more, better-directed, resources are needed to increase global capacity for cataract surgery.
Multi-omics analysis of the effects of soil amendment on rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) photosynthesis under drip irrigation with brackish water
Authors: Li Ziwei , Fan Hua , Yang Le , Wang Shuai , Hong Dashuang , Sun Bozheng , Zhang Miao , Dong Wen , Wang Kaiyong , Liu Yantao , Li Suocheng 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Drip irrigation with brackish water increases the risk of soil salinization while alleviating water shortage in arid areas. In order to alleviate soil salinity stress on crops, polymer soil amendments are increasingly used. But the regulation mechanism of polymer soil amendment composed of polyacrylamide polyvinyl alcohol, and manganese sulfate (PPM) on rapeseed photosynthesis under drip irrigation with different types of brackish water is still unclear. In this field study, PPM was applied to study the responses of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) phenotype, photosynthetic physiology, transcriptomics, and metabolomics at the peak flowering stage under drip irrigation with water containing 6 g · L− 1 NaCl (S) and Na2CO3 (A). The results showed that the inhibitory effect of A treatment on rapeseed photosynthesis was greater than that of S treatment, which was reflected in higher Na+ content (73.30%) and lower photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters (6.30-61.54%) and antioxidant enzyme activity (53.13–77.10%) of A-treat plants. The application of PPM increased the biomass (63.03–75.91%), photosynthetic parameters (10.55%-34.06%), chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (33.83–62.52%), leaf pigment content (10.30-187.73%), and antioxidant enzyme activity (28.37-198.57%) under S and A treatments. However, the difference is that under S treatment, PPM regulated sulfur metabolism, carbon fixation and carbon metabolism pathways in rapeseed leaves. And it regulated the photosynthesis-, oxidative phosphorylation-, and TCA cycle-related metabolic pathways in rapeseed leaves under A treatment. This study will provide new insights for the application of polymer materials to tackle the salinity stress on crops caused by drip irrigation with brackish water, and solve the difficulty in brackish water utilization.
Cat-paw-inspired Tree Climbing Robot Gripper
Authors: Wang Renjie , Cheng Chia Loon 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we present a bioinspired design for a cat-paw-inspired tree-climbing robot gripper using a combination of soft and hard design. We draw lessons from the cat's tree-climbing action and the structural function of the cat's paw and extract and focus on the key features: the structure of the paw's skeleton, the unique structure of the end claw provides the grip ability, and the stability and friction provided by the soft tissues of the meat pad. In view of the excellent tree-climbing ability of cats, the cat-paw robot gripper in this paper is different from the traditional tree-climbing robot, which is suitable for the complex tree environment. This is also an inspiration for the paw design of the quadruped robot to complete the climbing action. In this paper, the design mainly focuses on the analysis of principle, mechanical structural design, simple motion demonstration and general control system.
“If I've got to walk up that hill, I don't struggle…, I go harder”: A qualitative study exploring perceptions of the role of personality in weight management among adults with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Geerling Ralph , Holmes-Truscott Elizabeth , Kothe Emily , Speight Jane 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Personality is a well-established associate of health behaviors in chronic health conditions but has not been explored qualitatively in diabetes. This study aimed to explore how adults with type 2 diabetes understand the role their personality plays in their weight management.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone with N = 22 Australian adults with type 2 diabetes (50% women; age: 62 ± 9 years). Participants were purposively sampled, following completion of an online cross-sectional survey examining personality and weight management (n = 270), to achieve gender balance and diversity in physical activity and dietary practices. Open-ended questions elicited barriers to, and enablers of, weight management, with a final direct question: “how have your personal qualities or traits affected the way you manage your weight?”. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Thematic template analysis was conducted, with a deductive (using the HEXACO and Big Five personality frameworks) and inductive (where data did not fit either framework) approach.
Results
All participants described personal characteristics and strategies that they perceived as barriers/enablers to weight management, which were largely coded deductively. Traits most commonly identified as facilitating weight management were openness and conscientiousness, while emotionality (neuroticism) was mostly a barrier, and extraversion and agreeableness were identified as both barriers and enablers. While not represented in either applied framework, ‘disordered eating behaviors’ was identified as a barrier to healthful behaviors. Upon explicit questioning, 55% of participants directly linked their personality to their weight management.
Conclusions
Findings suggest adults with type 2 diabetes may have limited understanding or self-awareness regarding the role of personality in their weight management that warrants further investigation.
Evolutionary analysis of SLC10 family members and insights into function and expression regulation of lamprey NTCP
Authors: Zhu Yingying , Zhang Qipeng , Pan Jilong , Li Tiesong , Wang Hao , Liu Jindi , Qian Lei , Zhu Ting , Pang Yue , Li Qingwei , Chi Yan 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
The Na (+)-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) is a member of the solute carrier family 10 (SLC10), which consists of 7 members (SLC10a1-SLC10a7). NTCP is a transporter localized to the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and is primarily responsible for the absorption of bile acids. Although mammalian NTCP has been extensively studied, little is known about the lamprey NTCP (L-NTCP). Here we show that L-NTCP follows the biological evolutionary history of vertebrates, with conserved domain, motif and similar tertiary structure to higher vertebrates. L-NTCP is localized to the cell surface of lamprey primary hepatocytes by immunofluorescence analysis. HepG2 cells overexpressing L-NTCP also showed the distribution of L-NTCP on the cell surface. The expression profile of L-NTCP showed that the expression of NTCP is highest in lamprey liver tissue. L-NTCP also has the ability to transport bile acids, consistent with its higher vertebrate paralogs. Finally, using a farnesoid X receptor (FXR) antagonist, RT-qPCR and flow cytometry results showed that L-NTCP is negatively regulated by the nuclear receptor FXR. This study is important for understanding the adaptive mechanisms of bile acid metabolism after lamprey biliary atresia based on understanding the origin, evolution, expression profile, biological function and expression regulation of L-NTCP.
Facile fabrication of actively bonded Dye-Zeolite nanocomposites for the hash mineralizaion of tendinitis antibiotic drug
Authors: Gayathri M. , Arunpandian M. , Moorthy Santhameenakshi , Swaminathan Karuthapandian 
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Heterostructured Dye Sensitized Zeolite nanocomposites (Dye sens ZEO) were successfully prepared by an ultrasonication method. The structural analyses of the heterogeneous catalyst were confirmed using various characterization techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, SEM, UV-DRS, PL, EDX, and Mapping. From the studies of FT-IR, EDX and SEM, the good binding between dye molecule and zeolite was confirmed. The SEM studies revealed that the prepared material in cubic morphology. The Dye sens ZEO nanocomposite participated to photodegradation process of levofloxacin (LVF) drug which was examined by UV visible spectroscopy. It shows that greatest photocatalytic activity within 60 mins under visible light irradiation. The identification of degradation intermediates of LVF using GC-MS spectroscopy. The dye molecules contain azo group and zeolite consist absorption properties were very useful for the transformation of electron which were enhanced the photocatalytic activity. In scavenger studies, hydroxide radical play a superior role in the photodegradation mechanism. Finally, the photocatalyst pick up from the degraded solution using centrifugation method and used to further cycle.
Development of a point-of-care colour reaction-based multiplex diagnostic technology for detection of HIV and TB co-infection
Authors: Malatji Kanyane , Singh Advaita , Thobakgale Christina , Alexandre Kabamba 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Currently, there are point-of-care (POC) tests for the detection of HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), however none can detect these pathogens simultaneously. We developed a colorimetric multiplex HIV and active TB diagnostic technology, using HIV-1 p24 and M.tb CFP10, ESAT6 and pstS1 antigens immobilized in high-binding 96 well plates or on epoxy-coated microarray slides. These antigens were used to bind corresponding antibodies in human serum at concentrations commonly found in infected individuals. This was followed by the addition of HRP conjugated secondary antibodies using either 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonicacid) (ABTS) or 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl Benzidine (TMB) substrates. The sensitivity of the assay in the plates was compared to epoxy-coated slides and the latter had a better limit of detection, averaging 815-fold lower than the plates. Also, the TMB substrate produced better sensitivity than ABTS. Furthermore, we studied the specificity of the antigen-antibody reactions for this technology and determined that it was highly specific. Lastly, we investigated the stability of our technology at different pH, temperature, and storage conditions and found that it was optimal at pH 7.4, 25 ˚C, and dry storage for 1 to 90 days. Thus, the developed diagnostic technology has potential for the detection of HIV and TB co-infection at POC.
An efficient and accurate 2D human pose estimation method using VTTransPose network
Authors: Li Rui , Li Qi , Yang Shiqiang , Zeng Xin , Yan An 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Human pose estimation is an important research direction in the field of computer vision, and transformer-based pose estimation algorithms have been favored for their excellent performance and low parametric number. Nonetheless, the algorithms suffer from computational complexity and insensitivity to local details. To address these problems, the transpose model introduces the twin attention module to improve the model efficiency and reduce resource consumption. Additionally, to solve the drawback of insufficiently high-quality joint feature representation resulting in poor network recognition, the intra-level feature fusion module V block was used to replace the basic block in the third subnet of the CNN backbone in the TransPose model. Then, the improved TransPose pose estimation network named VTTransPose was set up. The VTTranspose network achieves AP evaluation index scores of 76.5 and 73.6 on COCO val2017 and COCO test-dev2017, which shows an improvement of 0.4 and 0.2 compared to the original TransPose network. Moreover, the FLOPs of VTTransPose are reduced by 4.8G, the number of parameters is decreased by 2M, and the memory usage during training is reduced by about 40%. All the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed VTTransPose is more accurate, efficient, and lightweight compared with the original TransPose model.
Preparation of Jute Waste-Based Activated Carbon Supported Copper Oxide Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Storage in MgH2
Authors: Rahman Md. Wasikur , Ali Md. Yousuf , Khan Md. Maksudur Rahman , Enzo Stefano 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
The generation of hydrogen fuel cars is a burning issue worldwide due to the rapid growth of energy demand and depletion of fossil energy resources, together with the need for a successful strategy to reduce the successive increase of greenhouse gas emissions requires sustainable, renewable, and clean energy resources. Hydrogen is an ideal energy carrier in comprehensive zero-emission vehicles. Metal hydrides are a safe alternative for hydrogen storage due to their long-term stability and low hydrogen equilibrium pressures. Magnesium hydride (MgH2), for instance, has been considered as one of the most interesting materials for hydrogen storage due to its high hydrogen storage capacity of 7.6 wt% and 102 gl-1 and non-toxic properties. However, it cannot be used on-board due to two main reasons are hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reaction for pure MgH2 is very slow and occurs only at high temperatures (> 600 K) under an equilibrium pressure of hydrogen much higher than 1 bar (> 3 MPa). However, the operation condition can be improved by using metal oxide as an additive that creates channels through the MgH2 surface. In our current research, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-nano) were employed as catalysts supported by high surface area activated carbon (AC) with MgH2 which has opened a new window for hydrogen adsorption and desorption at standard temperature and pressure. Currently, AC was successfully prepared from jute waste which has been applied in the present issue to promote reversible H2 uptake and release behavior of MgH2.
Impact of vaccination on the association of COVID-19 with arterial and venous thrombotic diseases: an OpenSAFELY cohort study using linked electronic health records
Authors: Cezard Genevieve , Denholm Rachel , Knight Rochelle , Wei Yinghui , Teece Lucy , Toms Renin , Forbes Harriet , Walker Alex , Fisher Louis , Massey Jon , Hopcroft Lisa , Horne Elsie , Taylor Kurt , Palmer Tom , Arab Marwa Al , Coronado Jose Cuitun , Ip Samantha , Davy Simon , Dillingham Iain , Bacon Sebastian , Mehrkar Amir , Morton Caroline , Greaves Felix , Hyams Catherine , Smith George Davey , MacLeod John , Chaturvedi Nishi , Goldacre Ben , Whiteley William , Wood Angela , Sterne Jonathan , Walker Venexia 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
With the approval of NHS England, we quantified associations between COVID-19 diagnosis and cardiovascular diseases in different vaccination and variant eras using linked electronic health records for ~40% of the English population. We defined a ‘pre-vaccination’ cohort (18,210,937 people) in the wild-type/Alpha variant eras (January 2020-June 2021), and ‘vaccinated’ and ‘unvaccinated’ cohorts (13,572,399 and 3,161,485 people respectively) in the Delta variant era (June-December 2021). The incidence of each arterial thrombotic, venous thrombotic and other cardiovascular outcomes was substantially elevated during weeks 1-4 after COVID-19, compared with before or without COVID-19, but less markedly elevated in time periods beyond week 4. Hazard ratios were higher after hospitalized than non-hospitalized COVID-19 and higher in the pre-vaccination and unvaccinated than the vaccinated cohort. COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of cardiovascular events after COVID-19 infection. People who had COVID-19 before being vaccinated are at higher risk of cardiovascular events for at least two years.
Lapse rate adjusted bias correction for GCMs precipitation data: An Application to the Monsoon Asia Region
Authors: Mohanasundaram S. , Lim Sokneth , Hosan Md. Latif , Shrestha Sangam , Babel Mukand S , Virdis Salvatore G.P. 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Bias correcting General Circulation Models (GCM’s) data is necessary before it is used in the climate change impact assessment studies at regional scales. Most of the bias correction methods consider raw GCM’s and locally observed data for correcting the systematic bias in the GCM’s data. However, highly varying topographic conditions and associated lapse rate properties perhaps impact on the bias correction process. Therefore, we have introduced a novel bias correction method where raw GCM data was first adjusted for local lapse rates and later was bias corrected with a simple linear regression coefficient. Monsoon Asia region was used as the study region to evaluate the proposed lapse rate regression (LR-Reg) based bias correction along with linear scaling (LS) and quantile mapping (QMap) bias correction methods. Asian Precipitation Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of Water Resources (APHRODITE) precipitation data was used as reference data to evaluate LS, QMap and LR-Reg bias correction methods. The comparison results show that the LR-Reg bias correction method was more promising and reduced significant bias from GCM’s precipitation data. The relative reduction in the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values by LR-Reg over LS method was upto 30% while the relative reduction in MAE and RMSE values by LR-Reg over QMap was upto 50%. Future projected precipitation under shared socio-economic pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) scenarios showed that the increase in precipitation was upto 50% mostly in the northern and central parts of China and in the Himalayan belts.
Supplementation of palmitoleic acid improved piglet growth and reduced body temperature drop upon a cold exposure
Authors: Feyera Takele , Lashkari Saman , Johannsen Jakob Christoffer , Llauradó-Calero Eudald , Zhe Li , Theil Peter Kappel , Jensen Søren Krogh 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background Survival of piglets poses a significant challenge in the initial days after birth because piglets are lacking readily oxidizable brown adipose tissue and born with limited amount of body reserves, which in turn limited theirthermogenic capacity. This study investigated the effects of palmitoleic acid (PA) supplementation on growth performance, maintenance of body temperature, muscle fatty acid (FA) compositions, and energy metabolism in milk replacer fed piglets. Forty-eight piglets were stratified by body weight and randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% PA supplementation as percent of milk replacer). Piglets were weighed daily, and half in each dietary treatment groups were exposed daily to low temperature for 2 h. Plasma and tissue samples were collected at the end of the experiment for further analyses.
Results Contents of C16:1n-7 and C18:1n-7 in both plasma and liver (P < 0.001), and C16:1n-7 (P < 0.001) in semimembranosus increased linearly as PA levels increased. Most plasma FA levels (except C16:1n-7, C16:1n-9 and C22:5n-3) were lower in piglets exposed to low temperature than those that were not. Plasma glucose, triglycerides and lactate dehydrogenase levels increased linearly with PA supplementation (P< 0.001). Piglets’ average daily gain, liver weight, liver glycogen pools, and gallbladder increased linearly with PA supplementation (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.05, and P < 0.001, respectively), but lung weight, liver nitrogen content, and body temperature drop at cold exposure decreased linearly with PA supplementation (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, and P < 0.05, respectively). Piglets exposed to low temperature had greater liver nitrogen (P < 0.05) and lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.001) contents, but had lower liver weight (P < 0.01) and plasma lactate concentration (P< 0.05) than those that were not.
Conclusion Dietary supplementation of PA increased C16:1n-7 concentrations in plasma, liver, and semimembranosus as well as average daily gain of the piglets. The drop in body temperature of the piglet upon cold exposure decreased linearly with increasing PA supplementation.
Contrast-induced encephalopathy after cerebral DSA using iodixanol: a case report and literature review
Authors: Huang Li-gang , Deng# Jiang-shan , Bai# Xiao-lin 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is an uncommon and self-limited complication which has been mostly reported to be associated with coronary angiography, but the recent literature shows its association with cerebral endovascular therapy as well. It can mimic seizure, confusion, focal motor and sensory deficits, mental aberrations, cortical blindness and ophthalmoplegia. Here, we present a CIE after digital subtraction angiography (DSA) using iodixanol (non-ionic, low-osmolar). A 74-year-old man presents with slurred speech, facial weakness, right limb numbness and weakness is admitted. Brain MRI detects a subacute infarction of posterior limb of left internal capsule. Given a history of asymptomatic stenosis of vertebral artery bilaterally, he is conducted DSA for further diagnosis. A total of 100 ml of iodixanol is used during DSA. The patient experiences restlessness, confused, and hematemesis after the procedure, followed by generalized tonic-clonic seizure, right eye gaze, and coma. The radiological signs and clinical status are gradually recovery after symptomatic treatment. This case indicates the potential for contrast to induce encephalopathy.