| 1. |
- Comninos, Alex COMNINOS, et al.
(author)
-
Airtime to Cash: Unlocking the Potential of Africa's Mobile Phones for Banking the Unbanked
- 2009
-
In: IST-Africa 2009 Conference Proceedings. - Ireland : International Information Management Corporation Limited. - 9781905824113
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper discusses how mobile phones may be used to extend banking services to the ‘unbanked’. Generally, many more people possess mobile phones than bank accounts across Africa. Mobile banking services are already offered as an addition to existing bank accounts. Instead of adding a mobile phone as a complementary channel, why not add a bank account to an existing mobile phone number? This would narrow the access gap considerably, allowing mobile phones to be used to provide financial services to those without bank accounts. Two models are discussed that may help narrow the access gap: first—airtime cash convertibility, already a defacto practice in many parts of Africa, and second—the mobile wallet, which would allow full banking services to be performed on the basis of a virtual wallet linked to a SIM card. Results from Research ICT Africa’s 2007/8 e-Access & Usage household Survey are used to investigate the current usage of airtime as a means of payment as well as the potential demand for m- banking. Regulatory challenges to the adoption of m-banking as well as potential business models and possible models of cooperation between banks and mobile operators are also explored.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ambite, Ines, et al.
(author)
-
Bacterial suppression of RNA polymerase II-dependent host gene expression
- 2016
-
In: Pathogens. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-0817. ; 5:3
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is a bacterial carrier state in the urinary tract that resembles commensalism at other mucosal sites. ABU strains often lack the virulence factors that characterize uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains and therefore elicit weak innate immune responses in the urinary tract. In addition, ABU strains are active modifiers of the host environment, which they influence by suppressing RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-dependent host gene expression. In patients inoculated with the ABU strain E. coli 83972, gene expression was markedly reduced after 24 h (>60% of all regulated genes). Specific repressors and activators of Pol II-dependent transcription were modified, and Pol II Serine 2 phosphorylation was significantly inhibited, indicating reduced activity of the polymerase. This active inhibition included disease–associated innate immune response pathways, defined by TLR4, IRF-3 and IRF-7, suggesting that ABU strains persist in human hosts by active suppression of the antibacterial defense. In a search for the mechanism of inhibition, we compared the whole genome sequences of E. coli 83972 and the uropathogenic strain E. coli CFT073. In addition to the known loss of virulence genes, we observed that the ABU strain has acquired several phages and identified the lytic Prophage 3 as a candidate Pol II inhibitor. Intact phage particles were released by ABU during in vitro growth in human urine. To address if Prophage 3 affects Pol II activity, we constructed a Prophage 3 negative deletion mutant in E. coli 83972 and compared the effect on Pol II phosphorylation between the mutant and the E. coli 83972 wild type (WT) strains. No difference was detected, suggesting that the Pol II inhibitor is not encoded by the phage. The review summarizes the evidence that the ABU strain E. coli 83972 modifies host gene expression by inhibition of Pol II phosphorylation, and discusses the ability of ABU strains to actively create an environment that enhances their persistence.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ambite, Ines, et al.
(author)
-
Fimbriae reprogram host gene expression - Divergent effects of P and type 1 fimbriae
- 2019
-
In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 15:6, s. 1007671-1007671
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pathogens rely on a complex virulence gene repertoire to successfully attack their hosts. We were therefore surprised to find that a single fimbrial gene reconstitution can return the virulence-attenuated commensal strain Escherichia coli 83972 to virulence, defined by a disease phenotype in human hosts. E. coli 83972pap stably reprogrammed host gene expression, by activating an acute pyelonephritis-associated, IRF7-dependent gene network. The PapG protein was internalized by human kidney cells and served as a transcriptional agonist of IRF-7, IFN-β and MYC, suggesting direct involvement of the fimbrial adhesin in this process. IRF-7 was further identified as a potent upstream regulator (-log (p-value) = 61), consistent with the effects in inoculated patients. In contrast, E. coli 83972fim transiently attenuated overall gene expression in human hosts, enhancing the effects of E. coli 83972. The inhibition of RNA processing and ribosomal assembly indicated a homeostatic rather than a pathogenic end-point. In parallel, the expression of specific ion channels and neuropeptide gene networks was transiently enhanced, in a FimH-dependent manner. The studies were performed to establish protective asymptomatic bacteriuria in human hosts and the reconstituted E. coli 83972 variants were developed to improve bacterial fitness for the human urinary tract. Unexpectedly, P fimbriae were able to drive a disease response, suggesting that like oncogene addiction in cancer, pathogens may be addicted to single super-virulence factors.
|
|
| 4. |
- Esselaar, Steve, et al.
(author)
-
ICT Usage and Its Impact on Profitability of SMEs in 13 African Countries
- 2007
-
In: Information Technologies and International Development. - USA : MIT Press. - 1544-7529 .- 1544-7537. ; 4:1, s. 87-100
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article reports on a small and medium enterprise (SME) survey carried out by the ResearchICTAfrica (RIA) in 14 African countries. It argues that the nega- tive return on investment reported in the literature can be attributed to the failure to distinguish between the formal and informal sectors. This article demonstrates that informal SMEs have a higher proatability than formal ones. It further shows that ICTs are productive input factors and that their use in- creases labor productivity for informal as well as formal SMEs. The article fur- ther argues that there is still demand for axed-line phones among SMEs but that mobile phones have become the default communications tool because axed lines are either too expensive or not available. The primary policy recom- mendation arising out of this is that applications for SMEs need to be devel- oped using mobile phones.
|
|
| 5. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
-
Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
-
In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
