OPUS Collection:

Contemporary clinical conversations about stuttering: Do speech-language pathologists need specialised training to manage stuttering?

2026-09-15T00:00:00Z

Title: Contemporary clinical conversations about stuttering: Do speech-language pathologists need specialised training to manage stuttering? Authors: Coscueta, MP; Jelcic Jakšic, S; Poulos, A; Van Eerdenbrugh, S; Onslow, M

Karenia cristata from the 2025 South Australian harmful algal bloom produces potent toxic compounds

Title: Karenia cristata from the 2025 South Australian harmful algal bloom produces potent toxic compounds Authors: Rolton, A; Kumanan, K; Murray, SA; Thompson, L; Rhodes, L; Smith, KF; Selwood, AI; Greenhough, H Abstract: For more than 12 months from March 2025, an unprecedented harmful algal bloom (HAB), dominated by the dinoflagellate genus Karenia, caused catastrophic marine mortalities in South Australia, yet the mechanisms of toxicity remain unresolved. We assessed the toxicity of five bloom isolates (three strains of Karenia cristata, one strain of Scrippsiella sp., and one strain of Karlodinium veneficum) using fish gill cell line RTgill-W1 viability assays. Only K. cristata strains were toxic, causing nearly 100% fish gill mortality at screening concentrations of ~ 5 × 103 cell ml-1 for the crude extracellular fraction (culture supernatant) and 2 × 104 cell ml-1 for intracellular and extracellular methanolic extracts. Bioassay-guided fractionation showed toxicity in the crude extracellular fraction and both methanolic extracts but, not in methyl tert-butyl ether extracts, indicating the involvement of moderately polar organic compounds. Results were compared with brevetoxin analogues: brevetoxin-3 was non-toxic up to 50 µg mL-1, while brevetoxin-2 was toxic at concentrations far exceeding those detected in toxic K. cristata extracts. Toxicity in the crude extracellular fraction and methanolic extracts was detectable within 15 min and increased over 24 h, demonstrating progressive cellular damage. These results suggest K. cristata produces multiple intra‑ and extracellular toxic compounds, with brevetoxins contributing minimally to RTgill‑W1 toxicity. These compounds may contribute significantly to marine mortalities during K. cristata blooms, highlighting the need for their characterisation to improve understanding and management of future blooms.

Minimum Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors Among 6–23 Months Children in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2026-10-13T00:00:00Z

Title: Minimum Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors Among 6–23 Months Children in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Authors: Jimma, M; Assefa, DG; Zelka, M; Amaya, AA; Begawo, MB; Chanie, ES; Gebreeyesus, FA; Lim, D Abstract: The 6–23-month period is a critical stage in child development, during which the transition from exclusive breastfeeding to complementary feeding increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies and related health problems. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of minimum dietary diversity (MDD) and identify factors associated with MDD among children aged 6–23 months in Ethiopia. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI), Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for studies published from April 1, 2018, to April 25, 2026. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Thirteen studies were included and analyzed in RStudio version 4. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of MDD. Factors associated with MDD were synthesized narratively because of variable categorizations, directions of association, reference categories, and reporting of effect measures across studies. Subgroup analyses and an assessment of publication bias were also conducted. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023415050). Thirteen studies involving 7194 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among Ethiopian children aged 6–23 months was 27% (95% CI: 21–33). Substantial between-study heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 97.58%, p < 0.001; τ2 = 0.01; Q(12) = 414.67, p < 0.001), indicating considerable variability in prevalence estimates across studies and warranting cautious interpretation. Among 13 studies that adjusted for confounders, child age, maternal education, use of antenatal and postnatal care, family size, and household wealth index were the most frequently reported as being significantly associated with MDD in the primary studies. In conclusion, despite observed heterogeneity, the prevalence of MDD remains low and below the WHO 2030 target. Strengthening maternal education, antenatal and postnatal care, and socioeconomic conditions may improve child nutrition and support progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 2.2 by 2030.

A Comprehensive Survey of Knowledge-Based Visual Question Answering Systems: The Lifecycle of Knowledge in Visual Reasoning Task

2026-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: A Comprehensive Survey of Knowledge-Based Visual Question Answering Systems: The Lifecycle of Knowledge in Visual Reasoning Task Authors: Deng, J; Wu, Z; Huo, H; Xu, G Abstract: Knowledge-based Visual Question Answering (KB-VQA) extends general Visual Question Answering by requiring external knowledge beyond the provided visual and textual inputs, facilitating more complex real-world applications. KB-VQA introduces unique challenges, including the alignment of heterogeneous information from diverse modalities and sources, the retrieval of relevant knowledge from large-scale and noisy repositories, and the execution of complex reasoning to infer answers from the combined context. With the advancement of large language models, KB-VQA systems have undergone a notable transformation, where LLMs serve as powerful knowledge repositories, retrieval-Augmented generators and strong reasoners. Despite substantial progress, there is a lack of a recent, systematic survey that organizes and reviews the evolving landscape of existing KB-VQA methods. This survey aims to fill this gap by establishing a structured taxonomy of KB-VQA approaches and decomposing mainstream systems into three fundamental stages: knowledge representation, knowledge retrieval, and knowledge reasoning. Through an examination of existing techniques employed at each stage, this survey identifies persistent challenges and outlines promising future research directions, providing a foundation for advancing KB-VQA models and their applications.