Managing information and communications technologies in South African education: final project report

This was a meta-study. That means that the intention of the study was to review and analyse previous studies, and draw conclusions about the state of research into technologies in education, and specifically into the management of those technologies. The project proposed a range of objectives that were reduced because of funding limitations - the reduced project scope focused on an extensive literature review (the bibliography) and the development of a reference model that is intended to guide those concerned with managing ICTs in South African education (whether as managers or as researchers). The original proposal also included the development of case studies and the establishment of a knowledge base (built around the reference model) but this work remains to be done. The project was somewhat problematic in execution. Resourcing and administrative difficulties resulted in no students graduating (yet), and this is a matter for disappointment. These problems were reported to the NRF and – in the end – useful outputs were achieved. First, following establishment of the project, a two-day meeting of about 20 experts revealed a consensus: that the many differences that are to be seen (in learners, teachers, resource levels and other factors) are probably the most important thing to acknowledge and respond to, in undertaking further research into technology in South African education and in improving management practice. The drivers for change arising from technological innovation are forceful, and the form and function of education establishments is changing. In the simplest possible view, information technology is an investment and it needs to be managed accordingly. The idea of value can be used to develop logical connections between the sometimes-uncontrolled cost of education information technologies, and the strategic benefits that are sought for learners and for the nation. Critical to understanding how value can be assured is to acknowledge and pro-actively manage the information systems that are the means to improve educational processes, and the benefits that must be defined and then delivered, if the investment of time, money and effort is to be worthwhile. The bibliography that emerged from the literature review (more than 160 papers were read, being chosen from more than 700 candidates) confirms that there is little evidence that the management of IT investments in education is researched. Further, while some reported work makes passing reference to (or implies) strategic management, there is little evidence that strategic options and strategic management techniques are being seriously researched at the regional or national level. To deal with the problems of technology and strategy management: • The diversity that we live with needs to be understood and incorporated into policies and strategies for information technology and information systems in education. • The role of the stakeholder, and existing techniques for stakeholder analysis, will be key in determining the value is sought from our information technology investments in education. • There is more to this than just teaching and learning. Research is a key feature of the education landscape and needs good information technology support; administration at all levels needs good systems, and management needs management information that provides a basis for good decision making. The reference model, currently focused on "Teaching and Learning" as the core educational activity, organises the chain of value that begins to ensure successful investment. It also shows how knowledge management fits into the "big picture" and it provides an ontological foundation for further work, as well as a framework for the evaluation of performance and value delivery within working education institutions. The project also developed significant ancillary outputs: a proposal for a special issue of a journal, a "Flash MOOC", and a qualitative research data analyser. The project contributed to a new book, "Investing in Information", that is to be published imminently by Springer in Geneva (and that provides much more detail about the idea of value management from information technology investments). A number of journal papers have already been published, and further papers are in process.This project was funded by the South African National Research Foundation: Project Reference: ESA20100809000015400 – Grant Number: 7399

Type VI secretion: a beginner's guide

Type VI secretion is a newly described mechanism for protein transport across the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria. Components that have been partially characterised include an IcmF homologue, the ATPase ClpV, a regulatory FHA domain protein and the secreted VgrG and Hcp proteins. Type VI secretion is clearly a key virulence factor for some important pathogenic bacteria and has been implicated in the translocation of a potential effector protein into eukaryotic cells by at least one organism (Vibrio cholerae). However, type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are widespread in nature and not confined to known pathogens. In accordance with the general rule that the expression of protein secretion systems is tightly regulated, expression of type VI secretion is controlled at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels

Large-scale analysis of apolipoprotein CIII glycosylation by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry

Apolipoprotein-CIII (apo-CIII) is a glycoprotein involved in lipid metabolism and its levels are associated with cardiovascular disease risk. Apo-CIII sialylation is associated with improved plasma triglyceride levels and its glycosylation may have an effect on the clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins by directing these particles to different metabolic pathways. Large-scale sample cohort studies are required to fully elucidate the role of apo-CIII glycosylation in lipid metabolism and associated cardiovascular disease. In this study, we revisited a high-throughput workflow for the analysis of intact apo-CIII by ultrahigh-resolution MALDI FT-ICR MS. The workflow includes a chemical oxidation step to reduce methionine oxidation heterogeneity and spectrum complexity. Sinapinic acid matrix was used to minimize the loss of sialic acids upon MALDI. MassyTools software was used to standardize and automate MS data processing and quality control. This method was applied on 771 plasma samples from individuals without diabetes allowing for an evaluation of the expression levels of apo-CIII glycoforms against a panel of lipid biomarkers demonstrating the validity of the method. Our study supports the hypothesis that triglyceride clearance may be regulated, or at least strongly influenced by apo-CIII sialylation. Interestingly, the association of apo-CIII glycoforms with triglyceride levels was found to be largely independent of body mass index. Due to its precision and throughput, the new workflow will allow studying the role of apo-CIII in the regulation of lipid metabolism in various disease settings.Proteomic

Serum Protein N-Glycosylation Changes with Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity during and after Pregnancy

Proteomic

Serum N-glycan profiles differ for various breast cancer subtypes

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women. Early detection of this disease improves survival and therefore population screenings, based on mammography, are performed. However, the sensitivity of this screening modality is not optimal and new screening methods, such as blood tests, are being explored. Most of the analyses that aim for early detection focus on proteins in the bloodstream. In this study, the biomarker potential of total serum N-glycosylation analysis was explored with regard to detection of breast cancer. In an age-matched case-control setup serum protein N-glycan profiles from 145 breast cancer patients were compared to those from 171 healthy individuals. N-glycans were enzymatically released, chemically derivatized to preserve linkage-specificity of sialic acids and characterized by high resolution mass spectrometry. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate associations of specific N-glycan structures as well as N-glycosylation traits with breast cancer. In a case-control comparison three associations were found, namely a lower level of a two triantennary glycans and a higher level of one tetraantennary glycan in cancer patients. Of note, various other N-glycomic signatures that had previously been reported were not replicated in the current cohort. It was further evaluated whether the lack of replication of breast cancer N-glycomic signatures could be partly explained by the heterogenous character of the disease since the studies performed so far were based on cohorts that included diverging subtypes in different numbers. It was found that serum N-glycan profiles differed for the various cancer subtypes that were analyzed in this study.Surgical oncolog

Automated Plasma Glycomics with Linkage-Specific Sialic Acid Esterification and Ultrahigh Resolution MS

Surgical oncolog

Serum N-glycome analysis reveals pancreatic cancer disease signatures

Background &Aims Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer type with loco-regional spread that makes the tumor surgically unresectable. Novel diagnostic tools are needed to improve detection of PDAC and increase patient survival. In this study we explore serum proteinN-glycan profiles from PDAC patients with regard to their applicability to serve as a disease biomarker panel. Methods Total serumN-glycome analysis was applied to a discovery set (86 PDAC cases/84 controls) followed by independent validation (26 cases/26 controls) using in-house collected serum specimens. ProteinN-glycan profiles were obtained using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and included linkage-specific sialic acid information.N-glycans were relatively quantified and case-control classification performance was evaluated based on glycosylation traits such as branching, fucosylation, and sialylation. Results In PDAC patients a higher level of branching (OR 6.19,P-value 9.21 x 10(-11)) and (antenna)fucosylation (OR 13.27,P-value 2.31 x 10(-9)) ofN-glycans was found. Furthermore, the ratio of alpha 2,6- vs alpha 2,3-linked sialylation was higher in patients compared to healthy controls. A classification model built with three glycosylation traits was used for discovery (AUC 0.88) and independent validation (AUC 0.81), with sensitivity and specificity values of 0.85 and 0.71 for the discovery set and 0.75 and 0.72 for the validation set. Conclusion SerumN-glycome analysis revealed glycosylation differences that allow classification of PDAC patients from healthy controls. It was demonstrated that glycosylation traits rather than singleN-glycan structures obtained in this clinical glycomics study can serve as a basis for further development of a blood-based diagnostic test.Surgical oncolog