Defining Archetypes and Requirements for mHealth Interventions in Rural Kenya: An Investigation in Collaboration with CURAFA™

Designing and implementing successful mobile health (mHealth) applications is always challenging, but even more so in countries and communities in rural areas where the target population have access to limited resources. While some mHealth initiatives have shown success and potential in Kenya, still too many fail. One of the reasons for failure is the limited understanding of the health-seeking behavior and social-technological context of the rural Kenyan population. This study aims to use a mixed-method approach to define archetypes of rural Kenyan patients and translate them into requirements which can guide the design and implementation of user-centric mHealth interventions in rural Kenya. With this study, we show how practitioners can leverage existing organizational and social structures in developing countries to develop mobile health applications tailored to patients’ needs

Supporting Subject Matter Experts as Developers: Towards a Framework for Decentralized Robotic Process Automation Development

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has emerged as promising automation technology in recent years. Firms seize RPA for fast and cost-efficient low-code process automation implemented and maintained decentrally in the business units by subject matter experts (SMEs) without IT development experience. However, decentralized RPA projects are reported to frequently fail and be prone to challenges as SMEs struggle to meet their new roles and responsibilities, such as developers or testers. Yet, research lacks an understanding of how challenges related to SMEs' roles and responsibilities unfold and how to address these challenges when executing decentralized RPA projects. To this end, our study employs a Design Science Research approach, drawing on literature and 14 expert interviews, to (1) systematically synthesize the challenges related to SMEs' roles and responsibilities and (2) derive a software development framework for supporting SMEs in their new roles and responsibilities in decentralized RPA projects. Thus, our study contributes to RPA and low-code development research and provides SMEs with guidelines to navigate decentralized RPA projects in practice

Striving for Global Optima in Digital Transformation: A Paradox Theory Approach

Inherent properties of digital technologies offer promising possibilities such as rapid scalability and exponential growth. However, we observe that firms pursuing digital transformation (DT) initiatives face difficulties in realizing these benefits, as they face competing organizational demands (tensions) in the DT context. By considering digital technologies’ unique properties and adopting a paradox theory lens, we conducted a qualitative study with 28 interviewees across three companies from which we derive six drivers of tensions and three novel paradoxical tensions within the DT context. We show how these drivers and tensions lead to firms pursuing short-term successes at the cost of strategic benefits that DT offers (what we call “local” instead of “global” optima). We provide scholars and practitioners with a fundamental understanding of how digital technologies define challenges in the DT process so that firms can proactively structure DT initiatives to reach global optima

Enhancing banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus) resistance by plant genetic modification: A perspective

Banana weevil is a serious pest of bananas and plantains in Africa. The development of resistant cultivars is seen as the long term and more sustainable control strategy. The difficulty in conventional breeding of bananas and plantains has prompted efforts towards the use of genetic transformation for banana and plantain improvement. In this review, the current status of banana weevil resistance, sources of resistance and resistance mechanisms is assessed. Further, current efforts and future prospects for identifying resistance genes outside the genus Musa with potential to control banana weevil in a transgenic approach are outlined and discussed. Key words: Banana weevil, host plant resistance, pest resistance genes, transgenic plants African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 2 (12), pp. 563-569, December 200

Differential gene expression in East African highland bananas (Musa spp.) : interactions between non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum V5w2 and Radopholus similis

Endophytic non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum isolates are known to control Radopholus similis through induced resistance. Using complementary (c)DNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP), we identified genes induced in nematode-susceptible and -tolerant bananas following colonization by nonpathogenic endophytic F. oxysporum isolate V5w2. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRTPCR) were then used to analyze expression profiles of selected genes. Accumulated gene transcripts included those involved in signal transduction, cell wall strengthening, Jasmonic acid (JA) pathway and transport of defense molecules. Endophyte colonization primed the expression of β-1,3-glucan synthase and Coronatine insensitive 1 (COI1) in the susceptible cultivar, and that of COI1 and Lipoxygenase (LOX) in the tolerant. We isolate and identify for the first time genes involved in the interaction between endophytic non-pathogenic F. oxysporum and banana. Highlights · We report identification of genes involved in fungal endophyte protection of banana. · We report JA-induced defenses in banana- V5w2- Radopholus similis interaction. · Genes were primed for expression upon nematode challenge of V5w2 inoculated plants.We acknowledge the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit (BMZ) for funding this study.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/pmpphb201

Preharvest Management Strategies and Their Impact on Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Associated Mycotoxins

Mycotoxigenic fungi that contaminate grain crops can lead to reduced grain quality, crop yield reduction and mycotoxicosis among humans and livestock. Preharvest management of fungi and mycotoxin contamination is considered among the most important mitigating strategies. Approaches include the breeding of resistant cultivars, use of microorganisms chemical control, production practises and the management of plant stressors. Resistant plants provide an effective and environmentally sound strategy to control mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins; and have been documented. Their incorporation into commercial cultivars is, however, slow and complex. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on determining the resistance of cultivars and landraces currently used by producers. Chemical control has been successfully used for wheat; yet little to no research has been done on other important crops. Biological control strategies have focussed on Aspergillus flavus that produces aflatoxins and infects commercially important crops like maize and groundnuts. Commercial biological control products have been developed and field-tested in several African countries with promising results. The impacts of production practises are unclear under variable environmental conditions; but subsequent disease manifestation and mycotoxin contamination can be reduced. Each preharvest approaches contribute to managing mycotoxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins but integrating approaches may provide more effective management of fungal and mycotoxin contamination in crops

Tolerance to fusarium verticillioides infection and fumonisin accumulation in maize F1 hybrids and subsequent F2 populations

CITATION: Ouko, Abigael et al. 2020. Tolerance to fusarium verticillioides infection and fumonisin accumulation in maize F 1 hybrids and subsequent F 2 populations. Agronomy Journal, 112:2432–2444, doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20145.The original publication is available at: https://www.researchgate.netFusarium verticillioides causes Fusarium ear rot (FER) in maize (Zea mays L.), thus reducing grain quality, yield, and contaminates grains with fumonisins. Grain infection by these fungi occurs before harvest and selection of parental lines resistant to fumonisin accumulation for breeding purposes is the most effective and environmentally friendly control strategy for F. verticillioides. This study intended to evaluate F1 hybrids and F2 breeding populations in Kenya for improved resistance to FER and fumonisin contamination. Trials were artificially inoculated and FER severity, F. verticillioides accumulation, and fumonisin contamination were determined. Inheritance of resistance was also determined in the F1 hybrids. CML444 × MIRTC5, R119W × CKL05015, and CML444 × CKL05015 exhibited little to no FER and had the least fungal and fumonisin contamination, respectively. Inbred lines CML495, CKL05015, and P502 had negative, significant general combining ability (GCA) estimates for F. verticillioides colonization and fumonisin contamination, but positive, significant GCA estimates for 1,000-kernel weight, respectively. The genotype × environment interaction was the main source of variation observed in the F2 populations with R119W × CKL05015 and CML444 × CKL05015 being the most tolerant to fungal and fumonisin contamination in Kiboko and MIRTC5 × CML495 the most tolerant in Katumani.Publisher's versio

The development of a multiplex PCR assay for the detection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense lineage VI strains in East and Central Africa

Banana is a staple food and cash crop grown in East and Central Africa (ECA). The main banana varieties grown in ECA are the East African highland bananas (EAHB), although dessert/beer bananas such as Sukari Ndizi, Kayinja (Pisang Awak) and Gros Michel are also produced due to their high value at local markets. The Fusarium wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) causes disease of susceptible dessert/beer bananas, which significantly reduces yields. Banana Fusarium wilt is managed by excluding the pathogen from disease-free areas and by planting disease-resistant varieties in infested fields. Six phylogenetically closely-related vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) of Foc, VCGs 0124, 0125, 0128, 01212, 01220 and 01222 are present in ECA, which all group together in Foc Lineage VI. Rapid and accurate detection of Foc Lineage VI strains is thus important to prevent its spread to disease-free areas. In this study, molecular markers specific to Foc Lineage VI were therefore developed. Primer sets were then combined in a multiplex PCR assay, and validated on a worldwide population of 623 known Foc isolates, other formae speciales and non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum isolates. The Foc Lineage VI multiplex PCR was used to identify Foc isolates collected in banana fields at five locations in Uganda and Tanzania. Foc Lineage VI DNA was detected at a concentration as low as 0.1 ng/μl, both in the absence and presence of banana DNA, and can therefore be used as an accurate diagnostic tool for Foc Lineage VI strains