University of Westminster

About: University of Westminster is a education organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 2944 authors who have published 8426 publications receiving 200236 citations. The organization is also known as: Westminster University & Royal Polytechnic Institution.

Harnessing e-Government Adoption in the SADC Region: a Conceptual Underpinning

Abstract: There has recently been an escalation of e-Government initiatives in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, with South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles and Botswana leading the way towards this cause. Evidence indicates e-Government implementation projects in this region either fail or succeed. Therefore it is important that before actual implementation is commissioned, there is need to understand the different challenges that come with e-Government implementations such as investment risks, failure to be adopted by the general citizenry, abandoning already-commissioned e-Government activities, and so forth. Such problems can be avoided by putting in place a properly and carefully authored e-Government adoption strategy that takes care of the local context and the multi-dimensionality of e-Government. This paper, with strong reference to Davis' 1989 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theoretical underpinning, proposes a conceptual e-Government adoption model that may be commensurate with promoting the growth of e- Government in the SADC region. However, the limitation of this proposed model is that it has not been empirically tested and leaves room for its further validation. The paper follows up on the status of e-Government implementation in the SADC region by presenting two case studies that detail what interventions and initiatives have been put in place to encourage e-Government in Botswana and Zambia.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis in Bacillus cereus SPV under varied limiting conditions and an insight into the biosynthetic genes involved

Abstract: Aims: A new strain of Bacillus, Bacillus cereus SPV, was found to be capable of using a wide range of carbon sources for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) (Valappil et al. 2007b). Limiting nutrient in the culture conditions is crucial for PHA production. In this study, B. cereus SPV was grown in different culture conditions with limitation of potassium, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorous to establish the impact of nutritional limitation on PHA production. Methods and Results: The PHA yields obtained were found to be 13·4, 38, 13·15 and 33·33% dcw for potassium, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus limitations, respectively. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the isolated polymers showed the presence of P(3HB) under nitrogen, sulphur and phosphate-limiting conditions and P(3HB-3HV) copolymer under potassium limiting conditions. This ability of B. cereus SPV to accumulate different PHA monomers from structurally unrelated carbon sources led to an interest in the molecular analysis of PHA biosynthesis in this organism. To achieve this, PCR was used to identify the polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthetic genes in B. cereus SPV. Conclusion: Sequence analysis of the PCR products from B. cereus SPV revealed the sequence of the putative biosynthetic genes, and possible regions involved in substrate binding. The nucleotide sequence reported in this paper is in the GenBank nucleotide sequence database under accession number DQ486135. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first report comparing the capability of B. cereus SPV to produce PHAs under different culture conditions of potassium, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphate limitations. The results in this study suggest the unique ability of B. cereus SPV to supply both 3HB and 3HV monomers from a structurally unrelated carbon source, glucose.

'Portfolio Workers': Autonomy and Control amongst Freelance Translators

Abstract: Recent literature has begun to disaggregate groups of the `self-employed without employees' to examine in greater detail what determines their working conditions. This article continues this trend ...

Microbial quorum sensing: a tool or a target for antimicrobial therapy?

Abstract: Inter-cell communication aided by released chemical signals when cell density reaches a critical concentration has been investigated for over 30 years as quorum sensing. Originally discovered in Gram-negative bacteria, quorum-sensing systems have also been studied extensively in Gram-positive bacteria and dimorphic fungi. Microbial communities communicating via quorum sensing employ various chemical signals to supervise their surrounding environment, alter genetic expression and gain advantage over their competitors. These signals vary from acylhomoserine lactones to small modified or unmodified peptides to complex gamma-butyrolactone molecules. The scope of this review is to give an insight into some of the quorum-sensing systems now known and to explore their role in microbial physiology and development of pathogenesis. Particular attention will be dedicated to the signalling molecules involved in quorum-sensing-mediated processes and the potential shown by some of their natural and synthetic analogues in the treatment of infections triggered by quorum sensing.