Laboratory investigation of low positive and discrepant HIV serology results

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.In our diagnostic virology laboratory, we test on average 1500 samples for HIV antibody/antigen each month, of which 0.6% produces problematic results. These problematic samples produce either weakly reactive screening and confirmatory results or, discrepant screening and confirmatory results. Both scenarios require additional tests to confirm HIV status thus increasing cost and turnaround time. There is a need to devise an optimal strategy within the laboratory to rapidly and easily manage these samples with minimal additional cost. The WHO recommends three HIV testing strategies. Strategy I ensures blood transfusion safety while strategies II and III are used for both surveillance and diagnostics in high prevalence and low prevalence areas respectively.1The 2010 National antenatal sentinel HIV & syphilis prevalence study reported the South African HIV prevalence as 30.2%.2 There were 1.8 million new cases of HIV infection in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2011.3South Africa (SA) is a high prevalence country and therefore the national HIV testing guideline is based on strategy II. The HIV screening and confirmatory strategy at Groote Schuur is based on these recommendations

The influence of the Tübingen soft palate plate and early cleft closure on the nasopharyngeal airway for the management of airway obstruction in an infant with Pierre Robin sequence: A case report

AbstractINTRODUCTIONA Tübingen palate plate and early cleft closure for successful airway management is described in a newborn with Pierre Robin sequence.PRESENTATION OF CASEA three-day-old newborn with an acute airway obstruction underwent primary treatment with a Tübingen soft palate plate.DISCUSSIONAfter stabilization of the airway, the cleft soft palate was closed after three months.CONCLUSIONThe Tübingen soft palate plate proved to be a very satisfactory treatment for the infant

Rethinking Higher Education Models: Towards a New Education Paradigm for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The United Nations 2030 Agenda unfolded a comprehensive package of Sustainable Development Goals that seek global cooperation, participation, and coordinated efforts to 2030 for the betterment of humanity within the ecological constraints of the planet. However, it has become evident that the agenda is very ambitious and afflicted by a lack of solid governance principles vital to ensuring the successful achievement of the goals and targets. This paper offers critical insights into the pivotal role of higher education in promoting and implementing the goals. We argue that there is a need to raise awareness of the goals and educate relevant stakeholders on how to coordinate their efforts to respond to the complexities associated with achieving sustainability. We find that higher education institutions are poised to play a more relevant and influential role, but to do so, they need to engage in a bold educational transformation process. Given that the achievement of the goals is predicated on collaboration between multiple actors, ranging from governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations, civil society, researchers, academics, and students, specific actions within higher education must focus on the circularity of the education model. Moreover, stakeholders need to work together to address the numerous failures associated with governance if they seek to achieve meaningful change and progress around sustainability issues. Therefore, we argue that HEIs need to rethink and reconsider their educational models to update their leadership role in achieving the 2030 Agenda and beyond

The role of collaboration and external knowledge for innovation in small food firms

In this study, we use unique purpose-built survey data to show that small food firms are more innovative when externally engaged. To capture this, we apply a broad classification of innovative activities, including new products, processes, markets, organization, and distribution channels, and examine them against types of external interactions. The analysis, an ordered logit estimation, controls for heterogeneity across firms as well as geographic conditions. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between external interaction and firm innovation, though there are differences across types of external engagement and innovation activities. Product innovation benefits from knowledge from extra-regional firms, while several of the other forms of innovation show a positive relationship with support from regional and municipality boards. Additionally, firm collaboration regarding transports and sales enhances most types of innovation, but there are few relationships of benefit with research-intensive organizations. We conclude that, to be effective, innovation strategies of both the firms themselves and policymakers need to consider local context, access to intra- and extra-regional knowledge sources, and what types of innovation activities the firms are engaged in

Understanding Economic Sustainability Through the Lens of Education: Insights from Higher Education in Ireland

The IPCC’s 6th Assessment report reasserts overwhelming evidence that global warming is primarily due to anthropogenic activities causing imbalances in the carbon cycle. Our economic reliance on fossil fuels for industrialisation, urbanisation and farming exerts pressure on the Earth system. Population growth, affluence and technology represent significant sources of environmental pressure. Rapidly dispersed anthropogenic deposits constitute an alarming cause of modification of the Earth\u27s crust, which has already become overwhelmingly dominant over nonhuman ecological processes. The current trajectory of socio-ecological interaction risks irreversible changes to the Earth system, where positive feedback may propel our life-supporting ecosystems beyond tipping points. The disappearing Greenland ice sheet, the clearing of the Amazon for farming, coral bleaching, the slowing of Atlantic thermohaline circulation and the melting of the Yedoma permafrost are highlighted as early warning signs. Despite the continuance of environmental and humanitarian problems, there are opportunities for creative remedies to emerge in concert with our increased understanding of these problems. In this context, education is uniquely positioned to promote, envision, and lead change in the direction of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the identified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper critically examines the need for high-quality learning and teaching to support an effective Education for Sustainable Development provision. In particular, we seek to understand the importance of higher education in driving meaningful change, reflecting on Ireland\u27s economic and educational model for fostering sustainability as a useful case-study

Circular Pedagogy and Digitisation A New Educational Paradigm

Existing educational systems and models are insufficient to address the challenges associated with our evolving socio-economic and environmental systems. In this paper, we offer critical insights on the core elements defining Higher Education Institutions, the digitisation of teaching and learning practices with a dominant trend favouring STEM education that overlooks the value of social sciences. The neglection of social sciences and the criticism and negative connotations that affect research in the field of pedagogy are also considered as they are essential in articulating our vision of the need for pedagogical innovations that acknowledge our new learning and teaching realities and the importance of introducing new practices that help on the transition towards a new educational paradigm. We propose a new pedagogy called Circular Pedagogy, where the role of the teacher, the learner and the researcher are identified as interchangeable over the lifelong learning process. Our research offers some initial insights into how Circular Pedagogy can be connected to Bloom\u27s Taxonomy as we are at the early stages of developing the theoretical foundations of this new pedagogy

Education to Enable Sustainable Economic Development

Sustainable development has been widely discussed in the economic and political debate for the past 20 years, but practical, sustainable measures are still lacking. This fact poses a serious challenge to governments as they strive to balance the demand for natural and social resources while ensuring economic progress and risking severe environmental degradation. The urgent need for an economically sustainable development model raises essential questions, such as integrating education into business models and government policies. Education plays a vital role in sustainable development, as recognised by the United Nations. Technological solutions alone are insufficient; our society requires a shift in thinking and behaviour towards sustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns, which can only be achieved through education. However, we face a significant dilemma as current educational models seem to prioritise the interests of the political and business elite over socio-economic and environmental needs. In this paper, we critically assess the role of education in fostering economic sustainability and inclusive development. We conclude that education can play a critical role in achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda and he Sustainable Development Goals. We argue that our education system should prioritise the well-being of humanity, challenging the prevailing focus on profit maximisation and economic growth as currently understood. Therefore, we need to reevaluate the meaning of growth and reconsider how economic elements should be approached

A Circular Pedagogy for Higher Education

Over the last two decades, higher education has been subject to significant scrutiny due to increasing pressures to provide a meaningful and relevant learning experience to the student population, and by their strong connection to the functioning of the economic and political systems. By reflecting on the controversies surrounding pedagogy, this paper contributes to the current debate by exploring pedagogy as a circular process where learners grow and develop by taking different roles and identities as they navigate a research-informed learning continuum defined by growing levels of complexity and uncertainty. This study introduces a new pedagogical paradigm for adult education, inspired by the Humboldtian model for higher education and that we have coined as “circular pedagogy” where the role of the teacher, student and researcher are indissoluble

Circular Pedagogy for Smart, Inclusive and Sustainable Education

Higher education institutions seem to be engaged in a reactive process when thinking about education for sustainable development, instead of being proactive. A every stage, educational models remain very limited to specific goals and agendas driven by the fad of the moment and without articulating a sustainable educational model that we argue should be uttered within the concepts of intercultural competencies, smart, inclusive, and sustainable education where learners engage on a circular learning process as captured by the circular pedagogy for higher education. If the academic community is serious about driving actions that help us to enact change and impact to develop a more sustainable conscious socio-economic and environmental global society, we need to rethink our education models and pedagogies so that they are attuned with the complexity of our evolving reality