BioMed Central Blog
Technology and the developing world
In a four-part series, Afrinnovator interviews Ken Banks of FrontlineSMS and Kiwanja.net founder, about FrontlineSMS and mobile technology.
Meanwhile, eLearning Africa 2010’s 5th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training is still taking registrations for its event in Zambia late May.
In a Public Service article, Jeff Waage, Director of the London International Development Centre, discusses why policy, local knowledge and new innovations are critical in enhancing the capacity of science and technology to deliver in the developing world. He concludes that whilst building new science and technology with development will be a challenge we must help developing country partners to improve their national scientific capacity so that they may participate in global science and innovation.
Computer Aid International recently published a case study entitled ‘Preserving African history: Bamoun King's Palace’. Computer Aid International has provided over 500 PCs to the project which are being used for educational purposes as well as to document the history of the Bamoun people online.
Finally, Computer Aid International is still seeking participants for its Cycle Nepal Challenge. This once in a lifetime 10 day cycle challenge begins on the 30th October 2010 and lasts until the 8th November 2010. You will be cycling a land of diverse landscapes, peoples, customs, cultures and languages, from snow capped peaks to green sub tropical forests and paddy fields. For more information please contact Maurizio Borgatti.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 12:04 Comments (0)
Towards malaria elimination - a new thematic series
Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in lower-income countries. This disease is curable and more importantly preventable, so why does a child continue die of malaria every 30 seconds?
A thematic series entitled ‘Towards malaria elimination’ published in Malaria Journal provides encouraging news about what is achievable with an integrated malaria elimination programme. The series provides a platform to catalyze all malaria research, reviews and debate, aiming to lead to malaria elimination and eradication in endemic areas.
One of the first articles published as part of the series reports on how effective measures combining four major control methods have produced a rapid decline in malaria morbidity and mortality on the island of Príncipe. The authors argue that to achieve elimination even more integrated programmes must be encouraged and sustained. Whilst countries such as Tunisia and the Maldives have proven that elimination of malaria from entire nations is possible, can these complex programmes be kept up in economically unstable countries?
Malaria Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Marcel Hommel, and the series Guest Editor, Marcel Tanner, explain that although significant gains have been made, a further coordinated effort by scientists, public health professionals, programme managers, funders and policy makers is still needed to progress malaria elimination further forward.
Posted by Alison Cobb at 10:32 Comments (0)
Technology in the developing world
eLearning Africa has announced that next year's conference, the fifth in the highly successful series of pan-African gatherings, will take place in Zambia from May 26th-28th, 2010. The Call for Papers deadline has now been extended to Friday, January 15th, 2010.
According to a recent article in InfoWorld, netbooks are gaining popularity in Africa.
Portability, low cost and minimal power demands are driving the trend as more Africans get Internet access. Major suppliers include Dell, Samsung, Asus, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Acer and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).
W3C recently released their "Mobile Web for Social Development Roadmap" a comprehensive document which sits at the heart of the wider work of the Mobile Web for Development Interest Group (MW4D).
Meanwhile, Mike Kellett and Joe Morgan, co-founders of IP2, a UK based joint venture which aims to provide a low-cost international mobile technology service, recently launched their global mobile platform at CES 2010. Unlike other similar services, IP2 is taking a different approach according to Kellett, "We have a system that doesn't depend on government intervention." IP2 will launch a cellular service based on the concept of VMSP, or virtual mobile service provider. Anyone can start a VMSP and sell services and handsets. Usually, a license to operate as a local mobile service provider can cost up to $5 million, but IP2 will be selling VMSP licenses for only $41,200.
Still on mobile phone technology, an report recently published on Zimbabwejournalists.com presented an African campaign which is using cell phone technology to expose stock-outs of essential medicines at public health facilities and put pressure on governments to address the issues.
The UN Foundation/Vodafone Foundation Partnership report published last week outlines examples of new technologies that mitigate conflicts and save lives worldwide. A report author said it reveals that aid agencies "fail to take advantage" of new tools available. It says a number of challenges remain to maximise the tools' potential. The report concludes that social networking tools such as Ushahidi, FrontlineSMS, Twitter, and Facebook, should become a primary and trusted source of information in situations such as natural disasters.
In other technology news, new communications applications are being pioneered across Africa with a view to eventual profit and based on meeting vital social needs. A new partnership launched in June between Google, MTN and the Grameen Foundation is facilitating small-scale enterprise by through the launch of a mobile-based 'Google Trader' application to all MTN customers in Uganda. Alongside a suite of four other applications, including a text service giving tips on sexual health or farming, subscribers will be able to use their phones to search and buy anything from a sack of bananas to a new house.
Last week saw the launch of MultiLearn, a system developed at the UW, which connects multiple keypads to a single computer. Early tests demonstrates that elementary school students using the tool are able to share a single screen while working on problems at their own pace, effectively quadrupling the number of computers available for math exercises.
In an ArsTechnica article, multi-hop mesh networking technologies are reviewed, particularly in developing countries. The author concludes that mesh networks may provide a cheap way to get villages in the developing world online, whilst not posing a serious threat to large telecommunication organisations in the developed world.
Finally, the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela has been described as a 'technology mecca' after the establishment and progress of its Institutional Repository over the past decade. Starting in 2000, the IR now holds some 19,000 records and has attracted 40,000,000 visits to its portal.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 17:58 Comments (0)
General practice: does it really have an image problem?
The New York Times recently ran an article on primary care and why it is perceived as ‘not cool’ in America. Journal of Medical Case Reports is accepting more and more fascinating case reports from general practice, so can this be true? I put this question to two of the journal’s Deputy Editors from both sides of the transatlantic pond: Dr Geoff Wong – himself a practising NHS General Practitioner; and Dr Christian Koch a practising US physician specialising in endocrinology: does primary care have an image problem in the UK?
[Read More]Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 16:44 Comments (0)
New research in Genome Medicine examines the unique roles of PPARdelta
The distinct catabolic role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) is reported in new research published in Genome Medicine, with therapeutic implications for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome.
Modulators of the α and γ members of the PPAR protein family are currently used to treat symptoms of metabolic syndrome. However, the specific metabolic effects caused by activating the third member of the family, PPARδ, are less well understood.
Julian Griffin and colleagues examine the physiological and pharmacological effects of a synthetic ligand which activates PPARδ in their article “Increased hepatic oxidative metabolism distinguishes the action of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor delta from Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma in the Ob/Ob mouse”.
The authors show that the activation of PPARδ has a different effect to that of its sister molecule PPARγ in obese mice. While both proteins have roles in improving glucose tolerance, PPARδ induced unique responses in liver and skeletal muscle tissues, switching from the lactic acid (Cori) cycle to ketone and fatty acid oxidative metabolism. This switch may contribute to the increased insulin sensitivity seen with PPARδ activation. These findings could give rise to further therapeutic applications for PPARδ agonists in the control of blood glucose and lipids.
For more great articles providing a post-genomic perspective of human health and disease, visit the Genome Medicine website.
Rebecca Furlong
Assistant Editor, Genome Medicine
Posted by Rebecca Furlong at 15:20 Comments (0)
New journal supplements provide useful resource for tackling disease in the developing world
We have published several supplements aimed at improving health in developing countries over the past month.
Last week, a collection of articles published in BMC Public Health concluded that money available to treat HIV/AIDS is sufficient to end the epidemic globally, but only if we act immediately to control the spread of the disease. This approach defies conventional thinking, which recommends gradual spending over 15-20 years. Canadian researchers led by Robert Smith? (the question mark is deliberate and not a typographical error) found that an aggressive program over five years is the only way to end the epidemic given our current resources. The study, part of a supplement on 'The OptAIDS project: towards global halting of HIV/AIDS' was based on a leading-edge mathematical model developed by mathematicians and biologists, who recently earned acclaim for a study on how best to handle a planetary invasion by zombies.
In a new supplement published in Malaria Journal, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), the release of sexually sterile male insects to wipe out a pest population, is one suggested solution to the problem of malaria in Africa. The supplement, entitled 'Development of the sterile insect technique for African malaria vectors' reviews the history of the technique, and features details about its use in the elimination of malaria.
Finally, in conjunction with the Aids Vaccine 2009 conference in Paris last month, BioMed Central's open access journal Retrovirology published the meeting's scientific abstracts. This meeting was particularly relevant in view of the recent interest in the results of the RV1144 phase III Thai vaccine trial.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 10:40 Comments (0)
Open access and the developing world - read the latest
As part of Open Access Week last month, Walter H. Curioso, M.D., M.P.H, Research Professor at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, talks about his views of open access and how it can help in developing countries
In other open access news, Denise Nicholson recently published her Tips for Developing Countries when reviewing Copyright Laws as part of the African Copyright & Access to Knowledge Project. Her recommendations include:
* ... Do not include protection for non-original databases. (It had little or no positive impact for rightsholders in the EU and created problems for users)". Original databases are protected by copyright like any original work. ...
* Promote Open Access, Open Source Software & Open Licensing (e.g. Creative Commons, etc.)
* Create and populate Open Access Institutional Repositories/Research Archives to showcase African research.
At a meeting on open access in agriculture, held at the International Centre for Crop Research for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad early September, Bruce Alberts, Editor-in-Chief or Science, called for open access to agricultural research in India to help drive development and reduce poverty. According to Alberts 'Given that agriculture is a "critical component" of India's science sector and that the country has a tremendous advantage in terms of diversity in agricultural science and practice, providing open access to agricultural research results could improve in national and state policymaking.'
In a comprehensive article recently published in the Times Higher Education Supplement, reporter Zoe Corbyn explores the pros and cons of open access, particularly in the developing world. In a blog piece entitled 'Revisiting OA', Barbara Kirsop of the Electronic Publishing Trust emphasises the need for instutional repositories in the developing world, concluding:
"Without a strong research base, the poorer countries will forever depend on donations and will be unable to contribute their essential and unique knowledge to the world's information pool."
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 14:44 Comments (0)
Science and technology news in the developing world
There's been a lot of focus on internet technology in the developing world recently. In late August Zunia Knowledge Exchange published a report which provides a detailed mapping of best practice for the implementation of sustainable local broadband access network.
Last month the BBC's dot.life blog explored how technology is shaping the developing world. In this series entitled 'Africa gets connected', Rory Cellan-Jones toured East Africa where a handful of commercial and government projects have been racing to give Africa the bandwidth it needs.
Meanwhile, in Central Africa, many countries are set to benefit from a $215 million World Bank backbone programme to provide reliable, high-speed, low-cost internet access to the region for the first time. Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic will take part in the initial phase.
Finally, in other technology news, Africa Gathering, a popular tech/Africa organisation, is holding an event in Nairobi on the 21st and 22nd December 2009. The organisers are now calling for papers.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 17:39 Comments (0)
A new home for experimental stroke research
Today has seen the launch of Experimental &
Translational Stroke Medicine, a journal dedicated to the gathering and
dissemination of new knowledge in the field of experimental stroke research, with the
aim of improving the quality of stroke research and facilitating the successful
translation of novel treatment strategies into clinical practice.
Amongst the first articles to be published in the journal are detailed reviews on potential new drug candidates currently nearing the end of development such as the hematopoietic factors G-CSF (Minnerup et al), and EPO (Byts and Siren). A detailed review is given by Dr Linker and Dr Lee on recent MS models which are more clinically relevant than the established experimental autoimmune encephalitis. In addition, Dr Gee and colleagues provide clear-cut evidence regarding the possible detrimental effects of the mucosal administration of antigen in terms of autoimmunity.
With their primary aim being to improve the quality of research in this field and reduce translational failure from bench to beside, Editor-in-Chief Wolf-Rüdiger Schäbitz and Deputy Editor Christoph Kleinschnitz explain in their launch editorial how they believe that the open access format BMC offers "is ideally suited to rapidly and broadly disseminating novel findings and promoting fruitful discussion amongst active stroke researchers" and how they would like to “encourage the stroke community to make full use of this very welcome resource”.
For further information about the journal, please visit the journal’s website or view the instructions for authors if you would like to submit a manuscript.
Posted by Sally Robertson at 13:45 Comments (0)
Canadian research initiative seeks to increase child vaccination rates in developing countries
Research published today in a supplement entitled 'The fallacy of coverage: uncovering disparities to improve immunization rates through evidence' explains why some children in developing countries are not receiving vaccines. The supplement, published in BMC International Health and Human Rights also shows how targeted, low-cost interventions can increase vaccination rates, at times doubling or tripling the odds of children being vaccinated.
The supplement, funded by the Canadian International Immunization Initiative Phase 2, consists of thirteen articles, based on research conducted across the globe. In Pakistan, researchers found that discussions with communities about the costs and benefits of getting their children vaccinated can actually increase immunization rates. While in Burkina Faso, children are not being immunized even though the father has given permission to do so. The study from this country helps to show how this can be changed.
Immunization can and does save lives, contributing to reducing child mortality rates. The results from this project confirm the fact that if resources are well targeted and based on evidence, they can have a huge impact on children's lives.
This five-year research initiative was launched in September 2003, as part of a larger program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and as part of the Global Health Research Initiative.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 17:15 Comments (0)
BioMed Central pedals for pounds – the countdown begins
Help our cyclists in their mad dash to meet fundraising target
In just under a month four members of our editorial team, Helen, Matt, Ruth and Joe will take part in Computer Aid's Cycle Chile tour. They will tour the Andes in Patagonia in the beautiful Lake District to raise money for the Kenyatta University Programme. During the tour our team will visit lush rainforest, crystal clear lakes and the virgin coasts of the Pacific Ocean around Chiloe Island. However, don't be fooled, this is no easy ride. Over the six-day journey the team will ride around 375km including many steep ascents!
So how have our colleagues been preparing for the event? Joe cycles 15 miles a day to get to and from work. Meanwhile, Helen has been running regularly and will be heading to the Highlands shortly to practice cycling on hills. She is also pleased to report that she has managed to give up smoking.
Ruth recently did a cycling tour of Holland, which she describes as '200 miles of windy flatness'. In addition, Ruth has discovered spin classes and finds herself strangely addicted. Matt's just returned from Italy, where he was able to cycle in warmer weather.
Without doubt our Cycle Chile team has the physical training under control but they still need your help to reach their fundraising target. If you would like to make a contribution to this worthy cause, please visit their justgiving page http://www.justgiving.com/bmcchile.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 11:20 Comments (0)
Science and technology news in the developing world
Patent offices in developing countries are to be offered free or low-cost access to a range of online scientific journals from the end of the year. The Access to Research for Development and Innovation (aRDi) scheme was launched by the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with some major global publishers of scientific and technical journals.
Algeria has started to fund a US$1.4 billion, five year science and technology (S&T) programme that was promised in 2007. The money will help develop S&T research in Algeria, in areas chosen to meet the needs of all the country's provinces. There are plans for 34 projects (cut from 100 planned in 2007), which among other activities will create 15 new research units and 900 new laboratories, upgrade 583 existing laboratories and recruit more researchers.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC) recently launched a Global Center for Excellence in Laptops and Learning in Rwanda. The purpose of the Center is to create the highest quality examples of learning with connected laptops in schools and communities, support ongoing laptop implementation plans in Rwanda, and create an African regional laptop network. Last month OLPC's device reached 900,000 children of 31 different nationalities.
Earlier this year Vodafone, along with the United Nations and the Rockerfeller Foundation's mHealth Alliance joined forces to advance the use of mobile phones to better aid those in need of healthcare in the developing world. This new alliance wants to guide governments, NGOs, and mobile firms on how mobile technology can be used to help save lives.
In June Ghana hosted the 2009 Annual Ministerial Review of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Regional meeting for Africa on e-health. The two-day meeting brought together more than 100 participants including health ministers, experts, policy makers and non governmental organizations to assess the utilization of ICT to respond adequately to health challenges faced by the continent. Speaking at the event, Dr.George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, Minister of Health in Ghana, said capacity building, promotion of networking, technology transfer and experience sharing between developed and developing countries were strategic tools for promoting quality healthcare delivery.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 10:29 Comments (0)
Open access and the developing world - read the latest
WHO published a feature entitled Open access: a giant leap towards bridging health inequities, in their August 2009 edition of the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation. In this article the authors urge the United Nations and other international organizations to give strong support to the open access movement as a means of advancing health and development in emerging nations.
Meanwhile, several partners are running a survey of OA repositories in developing countries. This study is part of a cooperative program between eIFL.net, the University of Kansas Libraries, the DRIVER project and Key Perspectives Ltd., and aims at creating an inventory of current digital repository activities in developing and transition countries, at both the infrastructure and services level.
In a recent International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications online discussion, participants were asked, Why are publishers participating in developing country access initiatives? Participants in the discussion included learned society and commercial scholarly publishers. It was found that the key motivations for publishers' participation include moral duty and a desire to serve their authors as best they can.
As part of the World Library and Information Congress 75th Annual General Conference and Assembly in Italy this year, Paraj Shukla and Anand P Singh presented a paper on open access initiatives for agriculture in India. In this article the authors conclude that formulation and implementation of an open access mandate within Indian NARS is fast becoming a reality.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 09:28 Comments (0)
So far we have reached 20% of our target for Computer Aid International's Kenyatta University Programme. BioMed Central's employees have been busy fundraising through monthly coffee mornings, skydiving, a pub quiz and a live music gig.
Our four editorial members, Ruth, Joe, Helen and Matt (pictured) continue to train in preparation for their cycle around Chile in September to promote the charity and raise more money for our project. Recently they held a Chilean wine-tasting evening where we sampled many of Chile's best wines and learnt a lot about the country's famous wine regions.
You can help us raise our target of £10,000 by making a donation via our fundraising page at http://www.justgiving.com/biomedcentral/. By contributing to this cause you will be helping to improve education and access to valuable research in one of the poorest parts of Africa.
Also, if you're in the UK and have some old PCs lying around at home, why not consider donating them to Computer Aid? The charity aims to send out an average of 2,300 PCs per month so to achieve this target they need approximately 2,800 PCs incoming each month. If you think you can help, please visit Computer Aid International.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 14:20 Comments (0)
BioMed Central undertakes large fundraising drive for Computer Aid in 2009
As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting open access in the developing world, BioMed Central has teamed up with Computer Aid International to support research in Africa. We have chosen to support Kenyatta University in Nairobi to help local scientists conduct vital research directly relevant to local problems in one of the poorest parts of Africa. Many of the university’s academics have been published in open access journals, including those from BioMed Central.
In common with most African universities, however, Kenyatta cannot afford new computers – meaning that academics cannot get the access time that they need for researching and preparing papers. We’re partnering with Computer Aid International, who provide affordable professionally refurbished PCs to the developing world, to resolve this problem.
We aim to raise £10,760 in order to provide a
container of 225 PCs to the university – enough to give all research
departments their own dedicated suite of computers and guarantee that the university’s 720 research
staff all get the IT access that they need.
Stephen Campbell,
Director of Fundraising at Computer Aid said, “Computer Aid International is
really excited about this partnership and immensely grateful for the
support of BioMed Central and your supporters. We have been working with
Kenyatta University for a number of years, they are a first class institution
that we are proud to be associated with. Most significantly, their research
staff focus on areas that are directly relevant to surrounding communities in
Kenya and East Africa, including local diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV/Aids
and Malaria”
You can make a contribution to this project today by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/biomedcentral - in return for your support we promise to let you know how your money is spent and update you on progress of the project.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 12:21 Comments (5)