Mobile Water Payment Innovations in Urban Africa

This study assess mobile payment options for water service bills in four urban African contexts. Systems are evaluated to identify differences in adoption levels and motivations and barriers to uptake; how costs are distributed among water service providers, mobile network operators, and customers; and mobile payment applications and designs. Data was collected through interviews with water service providers, mobile network operators and service regulators, as well as a household survey in one of the study regions and the aid of World Bank and national water regulator data. Mobile water payment adoption rates were low, but there was also evidence that key barriers such as limited awareness, lack of physical proof of payment, and high transaction tariffs, could be overcome. Increased mobile water payment is found to result in considerable savings in time and money for consumers, revenue for mobile network operators, and perhaps most importantly, strengthened finances for water service providers to improve their ability to provide sustainable service

Interactions between cellulose ethers and a bile salt in the control of lipid digestion of lipid-based systems

In order to gain new insights into the potential of specific dietary fibres to control lipid digestion, the goal of this work is to study the main interactions between commercial cellulose ethers, as dietary fibre, and a bile salt, as an important duodenal component present during the digestibility of lipids. These interactions have been evaluated in two different scenarios found for an oil-in-water emulsion on its transit through the duodenum. Namely, interactions in the continuous phase and competitive adsorption at the oil–water interface have been looked at by means of micro-differential scanning calorimetry (micro-DSC) and interfacial tension (IT). Micro-DSC revealed that the presence of the bile salt affects the thermogelation process of cellulose derivatives, suggesting binding to cellulose ethers. The effect on thermogelation seems to be cellulose type-dependent. IT measurements proved the ability of cellulose ethers to compete for the oil–water interface in the presence of the bile salt. Interactions in the bulk might have an impact on this interfacial scenario. These findings may have implications in the digestion of emulsified lipids, hence providing a springboard to develop new cellulose-based food products with improved functional properties

Adapting to Diversity: Where Cultures Collide — Educational Issues in Northern Alberta

In this article, we report a case study of educational issues in northern Alberta. Using interviews and observations, we provide the different perspectives held by educators, students, parents, and community members about the goals and purposes of schools, the curriculum, and the language of instruction. Practices in the schools tended to maintain the status quo: a southern approach to education, with an emphasis on a provincial curriculum and English as the language of instruction. These schools did not reflect the realities of northern communities, such as a concern for Aboriginal languages, in spite of policies that provided for local control. Keywords: school leadership and culture, northern education, Aboriginal education, Alberta education, First Nations education Dans cet article, nous présentons une étude de cas axée sur des enjeux pédagogiques propres au nord de l’Alberta. À l’aide d’entrevues et d’observations, nous avons exploré différents points de vue exprimés par des enseignants, des élèves, des parents et des membres la communauté au sujet des buts de l’école, des programmes et de la langue d’enseignement. Les pratiques décrites au sein des diverses écoles participant à cette recherche avaient tendance à maintenir le statu quo : une approche de l’enseignement provenant du Sud avec une place de choix accordée au programme provincial et à l’anglais comme langue d’enseignement. Ces écoles ne reflétaient pas les réalités des communautés du Nord, tel le souci des langues autochtones, en dépit des politiques qui prévoient un contrôle local. Mots clés : leadership et culture de l’école, éducation en régions nordiques, éducation aux autochtone, éducation en Alberta, enseignement aux Premières nations.