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Advancing the Identification of Risk Factors for Invasive Fungal Disease in Children with Cancer
No full textInvasive fungal disease (IFD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised pediatric patients. This is a multicenter prospective cohort study with a nested retrospective analysis aimed at identifying risk factors for IFD in immunocompromised children with cancer and episodes of persistent high-risk febrile neutropenia (HRFN). One hundred and seventy-four episodes of persistent HRFN were analyzed, of which 34 (19.5%) were confirmed as IFD, 52.9% were caused by filamentous fungi, and 47.1% by yeasts. Logistic regression and survival analyses identified the following significant risk factors for IFD: male sex (OR 4.04), adolescence (OR 4.65), C-reactive protein ≥ 90 mg/L at admission (OR 3.13), and transfer to a critical care unit (OR 10.73). The predictive model demonstrated strong discriminatory capacity (AUC 0.84), with 79.4% sensitivity and 82.1% specificity. These findings highlight that adolescents, particularly males with severe clinical conditions and elevated inflammatory markers, are at the highest risk for IFD during episodes of HRFN. The proposed risk factor-based model may support early risk stratification and guide targeted antifungal prophylaxis or therapy, potentially improving outcomes in this population. Validation an external cohort is required to confirm these results and optimize clinical applicability
Reverse and Distant Mission: The Missiological Impact of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Zimbabwe Fellowship in the United Kingdom
No full textMigration is as old as human history. Over the centuries, there was never a time when migration stopped. The nineteenth century was characterised by the migration of Europeans to Africa. These movements were attributed to colonisation, commerce, and Christianisation. Christianity was used as a conduit of colonisation and the deculturation of the recipients of the missionary gospel. At the turn of the twenty-first century, there was a significant influx of Africans migrating to Europe. Among these migrants were worshippers from the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (WMCZ). Using a missiological framework, this paper employs a qualitative research methodology to argue that the establishment of the WMCZ Fellowship, grounded in the mission and ecclesiology of the home church in the United Kingdom, is both a reverse and distant mission. To achieve this aim, this paper unpacks the methodology and the theoretical framework. It will also trace the development of the WMCZ in the United Kingdom (UK), discuss the hybridisation of Christianity, and justify the notion that the Fellowship is both a reverse and distant mission. The study makes recommendations that support the growth of the Fellowship. It concludes by arguing that the development of migrant churches in the UK can turn the MCB into a church with a white history, a black/multiracial face, and a white head that will eventually use a multiracial mind to survive in a white historical ecclesiology
Identical Attentional Capture with Different Working Memory Representation Precision
No full textAttention can be automatically captured by the distractor that matches the representation of working memory (WM) in search tasks, impairing visual search efficiency and resulting in attentional capture effects. The resource hypothesis of visual search predicts that resource allocation affects attentional capture. However, previous studies have shown partly opposing results inconsistent with this prediction. The purpose of this study is to assess the connection between attentional capture and WM resource allocation. Two experiments were conducted to combine the attentional capture paradigm with continuous delayed-estimation tasks. In Experiment 1, we manipulated the number of memory items between one and two and measured the WM representation precision as well as the magnitude of attentional capture. In Experiment 2, we manipulated resource allocation using a retro-cue task with the presentation of two memory items. In Experiment 1, the results show that when remembering one item, a single-item representation had higher precision compared to the scenario for remembering two items, and it also involved a greater allocation of WM resources. However, there was no significant difference in the magnitude of attentional capture effects between the two conditions. In Experiment 2, the results show that memory precision was higher when the cue pointed to the item compared to when it did not, but there was no significant difference in the magnitude of attentional capture effects between the cued-match and non-cued-match conditions. The findings show that the size of attentional capture effects based on WM is unaffected by the distribution of WM resources. Attentional capture effects may reflect the attention bias of WM representation that occurs in preparation stage of memory-based attentional guidance
Investigation of Cavitation Inception in Aviation Hydraulic Fluid AMG-10 in a Small-Scale Rectangular Throttle Channel
No full textCavitation in aircraft hydraulic systems continues to pose a serious problem for the aviation industry. This paper presents a new study on cavitation in aviation hydraulic fluid AMG-10 at its inception condition, corresponding to a relative pressure drop of Δp = 0.58, within a small-scale rectangular throttle channel of specified dimensions. Numerical simulations were performed in a quasi-steady-state framework using the realizable k–ε turbulence model combined with the Enhanced Wall Treatment approach, and the results were validated against time-integrated experimental data obtained via the shadowgraphy method. Cavitation was modeled using the Zwart–Gerber–Belamri model. The validated numerical model, which showed a pressure deviation of less than 10% from experimental data on the upper and lower walls, also demonstrated good agreement in the dimensions of the cavitation regions, confirming that the upper region is consistently larger than the lower one. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that regions with high vapor concentration are highly localized, representing only 0.048% of the channel volume at a 0.8 vapor fraction threshold. The analysis reveals that the cavitation regions spatially coincide with local pressure drops to values as low as 214 and 236 Pa near the upper and lower walls. These regions are also associated with wall jets, accelerated by the flow constriction to velocities up to 41.98 m/s. Furthermore, the cavitation region corresponds to a distinct peak in the mean turbulent kinetic energy field, reaching 164.5 m2/s2, which decays downstream
PathSelect: Dynamic Token Condensation and Hierarchical Attention for Accelerated T2I Diffusion
No full textRecent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have significantly improved text-to-image (T2I) generation, enabling systems to produce visually compelling and semantically meaningful images. However, preserving fine-grained semantic consistency in generated images, particularly in response to complex and region-specific textual prompts, remains a key challenge. In this work, we propose a context-aware hierarchical agent mechanism that integrates a semantic condensation strategy to enhance attention efficiency and maintain critical visual-textual alignment. By dynamically fusing contextual information, the method effectively balances computational efficiency and ensures semantic alignment with textual descriptions. Experimental results demonstrate improved visual coherence and semantic consistency across diverse prompts, validated through quantitative metrics and qualitative analysis. Our contributions include: (i) introducing a novel semantic condensation strategy that enhances attention efficiency while preserving critical feature information; (ii) developing a new hierarchical agent attention mechanism to enhance computation efficiency; (iii) designing an iterative feedback method based on CLIP Score to improve image diversity and overall quality
Autopsy-Proven Snakebite Envenoming Deaths: A Review of Forensic and Pathological Evidence
No full textBackground/Objectives: Snakebite envenoming remains a critical yet frequently under-recognized cause of mortality in many parts of the world, particularly in tropical and rural areas where access to timely medical care and accurate post-mortem investigation is limited. While clinical and epidemiological data on snakebites have been extensively studied, the forensic characterization of fatal envenomations remains fragmentary and inconsistently documented. This review aims to synthesize the existing literature on autopsy-confirmed snakebite deaths, focusing on the pathological and toxicological evidence that supports cause-of-death determinations in forensic settings. Methods: A comprehensive search of the PubMed NCBI databases identified nine relevant studies, including case reports, retrospective analyses, and systematic reviews. Results: Across these reports, a range of lethal mechanisms were identified, including venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC), acute renal failure (frequently in the setting of rhabdomyolysis and acute tubular necrosis), neurotoxic respiratory arrest, multi-organ necrosis, and myocardial infarction. Histological findings frequently revealed glomerular and tubular necrosis, pulmonary edema and/or hemorrhage, pituitary and adrenal hemorrhage, and cerebral ischemic changes. Toxicological confirmation was achieved in several cases using ELISA and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), underscoring the importance of biochemical validation in post-mortem diagnosis and the value of analytical tools beyond ELISA (e.g., immunoaffinity LC–MS/MS, venom-specific immunohistochemistry, zymography for SVMP activity). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the variability in venom effects across snake families—particularly Viperidae, Elapidae, and Lamprophiidae/Atractaspididae—and emphasize the indispensable role of forensic autopsy in distinguishing snakebite envenoming from other causes of sudden or unexplained death. However, significant limitations persist, including inconsistent autopsy protocols, lack of species-specific venom assays, and poor integration of toxicological methods in routine forensic practice. Addressing these gaps through standardized forensic guidelines and improved access to diagnostic tools is essential for enhancing the accuracy of death investigations in envenoming-endemic regions
Discovery of a Marine Beauveria bassiana Polysaccharide with Antiviral Activity Against Tobacco Mosaic Virus
No full textTobacco mosaic virus (TMV) threatens crop yield and quality, while chemical antivirals offer limited efficacy and potential environmental hazards. Marine fungal polysaccharides are promising eco-friendly alternatives due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Here, extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) from the deep-sea fungus Beauveria bassiana T2-2 was isolated, characterized, and produced under optimized conditions (28 °C, 200 rpm, 9 days, pH 8, inoculum 4%) using an L9 (34) orthogonal medium, yielding 3.42 g/L, which is a 48% increase over unoptimized culture. EPSs were glucose-rich, with a molecular weight of 3.56 × 104 Da, containing 90.05% total sugar, 0.28% protein, 1.15% uronic acid, and 1.18% sulfate. In a Nicotiana benthamiana–TMV model, EPSs alleviated viral symptoms, maintained chlorophyll content, enhanced antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT), reduced malondialdehyde, and upregulated defense genes in SA, ET, ROS, and phenylpropanoid pathways. EPSs, alone or combined with Ribavirin, activated multi-pathway antiviral immunity, highlighting its potential as a sustainable plant-protective agent
Multiuser Exercise-Based Telerehabilitation Intervention for Older Adults with Frailty: A Pilot Study
No full textObjectives: This pilot study examined telerehabilitation, which has emerged as a crucial modality in light of recent global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the effectiveness of a mobile health telerehabilitation intervention developed for older adults with frailty. Methods: Six participants received a telerehabilitation intervention (Rehab Studio) that included exercise training videos. The participants were aged ≥65 years, had no history of dementia or psychiatric disorders, and had mild-to-moderate care needs. For 1 month, the participants received 1 h live online rehabilitation sessions with real-time communication with rehabilitation specialists (physical therapists and occupational therapists: PTs/OTs). The quality of life (QoL) (EuroQol 5 dimensions 5-level [EQ-5D-5L] questionnaire) and self-rated health scores were recorded before and after the intervention, and the data were analyzed using paired t-tests to determine whether the service was effective. Results: Significant differences were found in the total EQ-5D-5L and self-rated health scores (p < 0.05). The mean EQ-5D-5L score increased from 0.63 ± 0.13 before the intervention to 0.77 ± 0.14 after the intervention (p = 0.010), while the mean self-rated health score increased from 66.0 ± 18.0 to 83.3 ± 10.3, respectively (p = 0.019). Conclusions: This study revealed that the mobile health telerehabilitation intervention is safe and can improve QoL for older adults with frailty. However, the effectiveness of the intervention needs to be further investigated in patients with poor performance in daily living activities. Telerehabilitation could help to reduce the burden of nursing care in aging societies with declining birthrates. However, given the extremely small sample size (N = 6), these p-values should be interpreted with considerable caution. Statistical significance in such a small sample does not provide strong evidence for population-level effects, and our findings should be regarded as hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory
Small-Target Pest Detection Model Based on Dynamic Multi-Scale Feature Extraction and Dimensionally Selected Feature Fusion
No full textPest detection in the field is crucial for realizing smart agriculture. Deep learning-based target detection algorithms have become an important pest identification method due to their high detection accuracy, but the existing methods still suffer from misdetection and omission when detecting small-targeted pests and small-targeted pests in more complex backgrounds. For this reason, this study improves on YOLO11 and proposes a new model called MSDS-YOLO for enhanced detection of small-target pests. First, a new dynamic multi-scale feature extraction module (C3k2_DMSFE) is introduced, which can be adaptively adjusted according to different input features and thus effectively capture multi-scale and diverse feature information. Next, a novel Dimensional Selective Feature Pyramid Network (DSFPN) is proposed, which employs adaptive feature selection and multi-dimensional fusion mechanisms to enhance small-target saliency. Finally, the ability to fit small targets was enhanced by adding 160 × 160 detection heads removing 20 × 20 detection heads and using Normalized Gaussian Wasserstein Distance (NWD) combined with CIoU as a position loss function to measure the prediction error. In addition, a real small-target pest dataset, Cottonpest2, is constructed for validating the proposed model. The experimental results showed that a mAP50 of 86.7% was achieved on the self-constructed dataset Cottonpest2, which was improved by 3.0% compared to the baseline. At the same time, MSDS-YOLO has achieved better detection accuracy than other YOLO models on public datasets. Model evaluation on these three datasets shows that the MSDS-YOLO model has excellent robustness and model generalization ability
FGF2 as a Potential Tumor Suppressor in Lung Adenocarcinoma
No full textBackground/Objectives: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the predominant subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages with distant metastasis, underscoring the need for effective prognostic biomarkers. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), a multifunctional regulator, has shown to play contradictory roles in cancer progression. Methods: We analyzed three independent Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets (GSE19804, GSE18842, and GSE19188) to identify consistently dysregulated genes in LUAD. Functional enrichment (GO, KEGG, and cancer hallmark analysis), protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction, and hub gene prioritization were performed using public bioinformatic tools. Survival analyses were conducted via the Kaplan–Meier Plotter. The expression of FGF2 was validated across multiple platforms, including TCGA, CPTAC, TNMplot, LCE, and the Human Protein Atlas. Functional assays (Transwell migration and wound healing) demonstrated that exogenous FGF2 significantly suppressed LUAD cell motility in vitro. Results: A total of 949 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were commonly identified across datasets, with enrichment in cell adhesion and metastasis-related pathways. Among the 11 hub genes identified, FGF2 was consistently downregulated in LUAD tissues across all datasets and stages. Higher FGF2 expression was associated with longer overall and progression-free survival. In vitro, FGF2 treatment significantly suppressed the migration and wound healing abilities of LUAD cell lines. Conclusions: FGF2 is downregulated in LUAD and inversely associated with metastatic progression and poor prognosis. The observed reduction in cancer cell motility upon FGF2 treatment in vitro, together with its expression pattern, supports a potential tumor-suppressive role and suggests that FGF2 may serve as a candidate non-invasive biomarker for monitoring LUAD metastasis