Evaluation of TypeSeq, a Novel High-Throughput, Low-Cost, Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Assay for Detection of 51 Human Papillomavirus Genotypes.

BackgroundHuman papillomaviruses (HPV) cause over 500 000 cervical cancers each year, most of which occur in low-resource settings. Human papillomavirus genotyping is important to study natural history and vaccine efficacy. We evaluated TypeSeq, a novel, next-generation, sequencing-based assay that detects 51 HPV genotypes, in 2 large international epidemiologic studies.MethodsTypeSeq was evaluated in 2804 cervical specimens from the Study to Understand Cervical Cancer Endpoints and Early Determinants (SUCCEED) and in 2357 specimens from the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial (CVT). Positive agreement and risks of precancer for individual genotypes were calculated for TypeSeq in comparison to Linear Array (SUCCEED). In CVT, positive agreement and vaccine efficacy were calculated for TypeSeq and SPF10-LiPA.ResultsWe observed high overall and positive agreement for most genotypes between TypeSeq and Linear Array in SUCCEED and SPF10-LiPA in CVT. There was no significant difference in risk of precancer between TypeSeq and Linear Array in SUCCEED or in estimates of vaccine efficacy between TypeSeq and SPF10-LiPA in CVT.ConclusionsThe agreement of TypeSeq with Linear Array and SPF10-LiPA, 2 well established standards for HPV genotyping, demonstrates its high accuracy. TypeSeq provides high-throughput, affordable HPV genotyping for world-wide studies of cervical precancer risk and of HPV vaccine efficacy

Initial Development and Validation of the Student Wellbeing Teacher-Report Scales

Given that youth mental health is associated with their success in school and in life more broadly, it is important that school-based psychological service providers embrace best-practice prevention and intervention strategies that target mental health when working with student populations. One line of study in this area has begun exploring the incorporation of a dual-factor model of mental health within universal screening systems in schools. The dual-factor model is differentiated from the traditional unidimensional mental health model, which focuses on the presence or absence of psychopathology, by conceptualizing mental health alternatively as consisting of both psychopathology and wellbeing dimensions. The present study involved the preliminary development and validation of the Student Wellbeing Teacher-Report Scales (SWTRS)—a pair of brief behavior rating scales intended to function as screening tools for measuring two indicators of the wellbeing dimension of youths’ mental health at school: “feeling good” and “functioning well.” Specifically, the study involved drafting pilot items for the SWTRS and explored their latent factor structure, concurrent validity with school-related outcomes (i.e., attendance, academic achievement, and time on-task), as well as concurrent and incremental validity in comparison with psychopathology screeners. Results suggested that the SWTRS items may better represent two context-specific indicators of youths’ wellbeing—academic engagement and prosocial behavior—rather than the hypothesized “feeling good” and “functioning well” dimensions. The SWTRS also demonstrated incremental validity and were uniformly stronger predictors of all school-related concurrent outcomes compared to the psychopathology scales. Implications for theory and future research are discussed

A Longitudinal Study of Two Teacher-Report Screening Measures for Student Mental Health: Comparing the SWTRS and SAEBRS

This study compared the comparative utility of two teacher-report universal screeners for student mental health, the Student Wellbeing Teacher-Report Scale (SWTRS) and the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS), across two occasions during the school year. Both instruments measure aspects of academic, social, and emotional student behavior from the teacher’s perspective but differ in their inclusion of both positive and challenging behaviors (i.e., SAEBRS) or positive behaviors only (i.e., SWTRS). Results suggest that both have strong concurrent and predictive validity characteristics in identifying student risk but differ in which outcomes they are better at predicting

Brief Report: Is Impaired Classification of Subtle Facial Expressions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Related to Atypical Emotion Category Boundaries?

Impairments in recognizing subtle facial expressions, in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may relate to difficulties in constructing prototypes of these expressions. Eighteen children with predominantly intellectual low-functioning ASD (LFA, IQ <80) and two control groups (mental and chronological age matched), were assessed for their ability to classify emotional faces, of high, medium and low intensities, as happy or angry. For anger, the LFA group made more errors for lower intensity expressions than the control groups, classifications did not differ for happiness. This is the first study to find that the LFA group made more across-valence errors than controls. These data are consistent with atypical facial expression processing in ASD being associated with differences in the structure of emotion categories

Barriers to the practice of benchmarking in South African restaurants

The main purpose of this study is to find the barriers of benchmarking use in independent full-service restaurants in South Africa. The global restaurant industry entities operate in a highly competitive environment, and restaurateurs should have a visible ad¬vantage over competitors. A competitive advantage can be achieved only if the quality standards in terms of food and beverage products, service quality, relevant technology and price are comparable to the industry leaders. This study has deployed a descriptive, quantitative research design on the basis of a relatively large sample of restaurateurs. The data was collected through the SurveyMonkey website using a standardised questionnaire The questionnaire was mailed to 2699 restaurateurs, and 109 respondents returned fully completed answer sheets. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The main findings were as follows: 43% of respondents had never done benchmarking; only 5.5% respondents considered themselves as highly knowledgeable about benchmarking; respondents thought that the most significant barriers to benchmarking were difficulties with obtaining exemplar (benchmarking partner) best-practice information and adapting the anomalous (own) practices to derive a benefit from best practices. The results of this study should be used to shape the knowledge about benchmarking practices in order to develop suitable solutions for the problems in South African restaurants

Forensic Evaluation of Historic Shell Structure: Development of In-Situ Geometry

When completed in 1961, the roof of St. Charles Church became the largest unbalanced hyperbolic paraboloid structure in the world and the only shell structure in Spokane, WA. Situated on an 8-acre site on the north side of the city, St. Charles is a modernist structure designed through partnership of Funk, Molander & Johnson and architect William C. James. This asymmetric structure is over 45.72m (150ft) and utilizes folded edge beams that taper from 1067mm (42in) at the base to a 76.2mm (3in) thickness at the topmost edge using regular strength reinforcing steel and concrete. The novelty of the shell structure serves both architectural and structural design criteria by delivering a large, uninterrupted interior sanctuary space in materially and economically efficient manner. Having previously completed an initial analysis of the structure, now, 60 years later, a complete structural forensic evaluation of the shell has been conducted using full point cloud laser scanning to generate a complete in-situ model. The in-situ geometry and historic loads are described and deflections as first steps in a full structural forensic study. Results of the current in-situ geometry are compared to the design geometry of original construction documents

Influence of second-tier retail expansion on micro-enterprise sustainability in Soweto

Background: This article explores the experiences of micro-enterprise owners in Soweto, focussing on the impact of formal retailers penetrating the informal market. The expansion of formal retailers into townships like Soweto raises concerns for local micro-enterprises. Aim: The study examines how micro-enterprise owners experience and respond to the challenges posed by formal retailers operating nearby in Soweto. Setting: The research was conducted in Soweto, South Africa, where the informal market plays a crucial economic role, and formal retail growth influences local businesses. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of micro-enterprise owners. In-depth interviews were conducted with three participants during the pilot study and 25 during the main study. The data were analysed thematically. Results: Findings showed that micro-enterprises located more than 5 km from formal retailers experienced no negative impact and reported positive interactions. In contrast, those within a 5 km radius reported negative effects, with formal retailers harming their businesses. Other challenges included competition from foreign-owned shops and insufficient government support. Conclusion: Stronger regulatory frameworks are needed in townships, as current enforcement is inadequate. Micro-enterprise owners must adapt to competition by developing strategies to address these challenges. Collaboration between governments, micro- and macro-enterprise owners and managers is vital for fair competition. Contribution: This study enhances understanding of the effects of formal retail penetration on informal micro-enterprises in townships and underscores the need for regulatory measures and stakeholder cooperation

World’s Finest Chocolate Automatized Palletizing System

World’s Finest Chocolate (WFC) is currently hand stacking each case of chocolate coming off its production lines onto pallets. This is leading to strain and potential injuries on employee’s backs and hands, as well as improper stacking that leads to less than sturdy pallet loads. This can result in employee recovery time off and medical bills. Also may lead to poor quality of stacking causing warehouse and shipping damage. Other companies have decided to utilize automatic palletizers to alleviate this issue. This is the current plan of action we are researching and proposing

Role of Business Intelligence Data in Guest House Management in Gauteng

This study investigates the acceptance and use of Business Intelligence (BI) systems among guest house managers in Gauteng, addressing a gap in research that typically focuses on larger business entities. The objective was to understand the role of BI in guest house management, specifically its effect on operational efficiency and decision-making processes. Applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) within the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework, we evaluated the perceptions and adoption of BI systems in 253 guest houses using a 5-point Likert scale. The findings reveal a strong acceptance of BI systems among participants, highlighting the growing importance of technology in the hospitality industry. Interestingly, the study unearthed a partial influence of competition characteristics and perceived ease of use on attitudes and BI system usage. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a direct relationship between digital literacy and the efficacy of BI system usage. This research contributes to the extant literature by shedding light on BI systems' role in smaller hospitality businesses, offering implications for managers and technology vendors. Recommendations include the need for ongoing training to increase digital literacy among staff and the exploration of user-friendly BI system interfaces to enhance perceived ease of use, encouraging widespread adoption

Common genetic variants in the CLDN2 and PRSS1-PRSS2 loci alter risk for alcohol-related and sporadic pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a complex, progressively destructive inflammatory disorder. Alcohol was long thought to be the primary causative agent, but genetic contributions have been of interest since the discovery that rare PRSS1, CFTR, and SPINK1 variants were associated with pancreatitis risk. We now report two significant genome-wide associations identified and replicated at PRSS1-PRSS2 (1×10-12) and x-linked CLDN2 (p < 1×10-21) through a two-stage genome-wide study (Stage 1, 676 cases and 4507 controls; Stage 2, 910 cases and 4170 controls). The PRSS1 variant affects susceptibility by altering expression of the primary trypsinogen gene. The CLDN2 risk allele is associated with atypical localization of claudin-2 in pancreatic acinar cells. The homozygous (or hemizygous male) CLDN2 genotype confers the greatest risk, and its alleles interact with alcohol consumption to amplify risk. These results could partially explain the high frequency of alcohol-related pancreatitis in men – male hemizygous frequency is 0.26, female homozygote is 0.07