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Photodynamic inactivation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using pyrrolidinium containing Schiff base phthalocyanines

  • Authors: Sindelo, Azole , Sen, Pinar , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360449 , vital:65089 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2022.114535"
  • Description: New tetra-substituted zinc and indium Schiff base phthalocyanines (ZnPc and InPc, respectively) are synthesized and characterized herein. The ethyl pyrrolidine (ZnPc-2, InPc-2) and propyl pyrrolidine (ZnPc-3, InPc-3) substituted Schiff base Pcs were reacted with methyl iodide to form their cationic derivatives (ZnPc-2Q, InPc-2Q, ZnPc-3Q, and InPc-3Q, respectively). The photophysical and photochemical properties of the Pcs were studied. The cationic Pcs generated higher singlet oxygen quantum yield in aqueous media than the neutral Pcs. The photoinactivation of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains was evaluated. 5 µM ZnPc-3Q and InPc-3Q inactivated 100 % of the MSSA and MRSA while 5 µM ZnPc-2Q and InPc-2Q eradicated 100 % for MSSA and 97.2 % and 98.7 % (respectively) of the MRSA. The photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy studies depended on singlet oxygen ability, the charges, and the extension of the alkyl groups.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Prevalence and seasonal changes of gastro-intestinal parasites of ovine on three different veld types in communal farming areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

  • Authors: Jansen, Mlungisi Selby https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6735-1054
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: Gastrointestinal system , Parasites , Traditional farming
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/28233 , vital:73956
  • Description: The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence and seasonal changes of gastro-intestinal parasites GIP of ovine grazed don three different veld types in the communal farming areas of the Eastern Cape Province. A total of 1242 sheep faecal samples were collected monthly between January 2012 and December 2015 to investigate the prevalence and season occurrence of internal parasites. From September to November 2018, a semi-structured questionnaire survey was conducted in three agro-ecological zones, humid Wartburg, semi-humid Allen waters, and arid region Cradock commonages to investigate farmers’ knowledge of the prevalence and occurrence of GIP in sheep. The prevalence of gastro-intestinal parasites was significantly higher in the humid zone roundworms 81 percent and coccidia 37 percent, followed by the semi-humid zone roundworms 75 percent and coccidia 22 percent and the arid zone was the lowest roundworms 71 percent and coccidia 14 percent. Roundworms had significantly higher counts P 0.05 mostly in hot-wet seasons of the year spring and summer and low during dry cold months of the year autumn and winter across all veld types. The humid zone had significantly higher counts P 0.05 in the seasonal occurrence of roundworms and coccidia, followed by humid zone, and very low counts were encountered in the arid zone during the study period. Seasonal occurrence of roundworm species was significant across all veld types, 64 percent of farmers were males and 36 percent were females. The study reveals that helminths and coccidia are major causative agents causing parasitic infections in livestock production, and therefore, good animal health practices management practices including proper hygiene should be followed to prevent parasitic infection in small ruminants. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2023
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Puma (Puma concolor) sex influences diet in southwest New Mexico

  • Authors: Bernard, Kelly M T , Perry, Travis W , Mgqatsa, Nokubonga
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/462647 , vital:76322 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3398/064.083.0201"
  • Description: Puma (Puma concolor) is a wide-ranging, large felid species, and site-specific research on its diet is important for local management. Like the diets of other large felids, puma diets may differ between sex due to size dimorphism and between seasons due to changes in prey vulnerability and availability. We investigated the influence of sex and season on puma diet in southwest New Mexico in terms of prey species and size categories. Pumas (10 males, 6 females) were tracked with GPS collars for an average of one year per individual between February 2008 and July 2020. Puma location was recorded every 2 hours between 19:00 and 7:00, and kill sites were identified by a minimum of 2 GPS fixes occurring within 100 m and 100 hours of the first fix. Pumas specialized on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and elk (Cervus elaphus) but also preyed upon a range of other species of different sizes. The probability of making a medium-sized kill such as a mule deer was higher for females than for males, while the probability of making an extra-large kill, such as an elk, was considerably greater for males than for females. There was substantial variation in prey species and size categories killed by individual pumas, particularly of smaller-sized prey like collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) and skunks (e.g., Spilogale gracilis, Mephitis mephitis). Our findings concur with previous research on the importance of mule deer and elk in puma diet, demonstrate individual variation in prey killed, and may have management implications.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Rationalising the retro-Diels-Alder fragmentation pattern of viscutins using electrospray interface-tandem mass spectrometry coupled to theoretical modelling

  • Authors: Moyo, Babra , Novokoza, Yolanda , Tavengwa, Nikita T , Kuhnert, Nikolai , Lobb, Kevin A , Madala, Ntakadzeni E
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/452786 , vital:75170 , xlink:href="https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/rcm.9592"
  • Description: Although mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful tool in structural elucidation of unknown flavonoids based on their unique fragmentation patterns, proposing the correct fragmentation mechanism is still a challenge from tandem mass spectrometry data only. In recent years, computational tools such as molecular networking and MS2LDA have played a major role in the identification of structurally related compounds through an in-depth survey of their fragmentation patterns.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Recent progress in the conversion of agricultural waste into functional materials

  • Authors: Xhamla, Nqoro, Raymond Taziwa,Patricia Popoola
  • Date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/9238 , vital:73025
  • Description: Agricultural waste is enriched with a variety of environmentally friendly materials that can potentially boost economic growth, reduce the spread of contagious diseases, and serve as a carbon-free renewable energy bioresource. Biopolymers produced from agricultural waste have a range of applications in medicine, agriculture, pharmaceutics, and industrial factories. The chemical extraction of biopolymers from biomass requires a series of alternating alkali, acid, and alkali treatments at controlled temperatures. Chemical extraction of plant-based biopolymers requires elevated temperatures (70–100°C), while for animal and sea organism-based biopolymers, moderate temperatures of 25–60°C are used. The obtained biopolymers are functionalized into various materials for application in a wide range of industries. The reported functional materials are loaded with inorganic nanomaterials, plant extracts, and organic compounds, which resulted in a synergistic effect and enhanced activity of the materials. Several researchers have synthesized biopolymers with synthetic polymers to improve their bioavailability, tensile strength, shelf life, and UV adsorption. This review article reports the extraction techniques of biopolymers from agricultural waste and their application in wound healing, water treatment, food storage, passive cooling, and cosmetics. The dearth of scientific articles on the applications of biopolymers generated from agricultural waste produced from food crops grown in Africa is a motivation for the present compilation.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Reclaiming the social order in an antithetical social control labyrinth: Realities , reasoned imagination and intervention

  • Authors: Obioha, Emeka
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: Reclaiming Social order
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Lectures
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/9486 , vital:73574
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Removal of reactive blue 19 from simulated wastewater using Solanum melongena stalk/MWCNTs: thermodynamics, kinetic, equilibrium and regeneration potentials

  • Authors: James, Friday Amaku1
  • Date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/9201 , vital:73021
  • Description: In the present study, a nanocomposite was prepared for the removal of dye from the aqueous phase. In this regard, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were anchored on the stalk of Solanum melongena (SMB) to obtain a robust adsorbent with the capacity to eliminate reactive blue 19 (RB19) using the batch adsorptive processes. Solanum melongena stalk decorated with MWCNTs (SMC) and SMB were characterized using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer–Emmett– Teller (BET), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. With the exception of solution pH, an increase in contact time, adsorbent dose, initial RB19 concentration, and solution temperature were noticed to elevate the uptake potential of SMB and SMC. Kinetic experimental data for SMB and SMC were consistent with the pseudo-second-order and Elovich model, respectively. The experimental isotherm data obtained for SMB and SMC were best expressed by Freundlich and Langmuir models, respectively. After the fifth adsorption–desorption cycle, SMC exhibited 52% of adsorption efficiency. Hence, SMC can be an auspicious candidate for the efficient adsorption of RB19.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Rhodes University Calender 2023

Sample size assessments for thermal physiology studies: An R package and R Shiny application

  • Authors: van Steenderen, Clarke J M , Sutton, Guy F , Owen, Candice A , Martin, Grant D , Coetzee, Julie A
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444455 , vital:74242 , https://doi.org/10.1111/phen.12416
  • Description: Required sample sizes for a study need to be carefully assessed to account for logistics, cost, ethics and statistical rigour. For example, many studies have shown that methodological variations can impact the critical thermal limits (CTLs) recorded for a species, although studies on the impact of sample size on these measures are lacking. Here, we present ThermalSampleR; an R CRAN package and Shiny application that can assist researchers in determining when adequate sample sizes have been reached for their data. The method is particularly useful because it is not taxon specific. The Shiny application offers a user‐friendly interface equivalent to the package for users not familiar with R programming. ThermalSampleR is accompanied by an in‐built example dataset, which we use to guide the user through the workflow with a fully worked tutorial.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Sense of Community: Perceptions of "Inter-Intra" Collaborations in an Academic Environment through the Lenses of Botho Principles and the Field of industrial Psychology

  • Authors: Diale, Dineo
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/450715 , vital:74976 , xlink:href="https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/ijhe/article/download/21745/13462"
  • Description: In the current study, I explored the concept of collaboration from Botho principles and the industrial psychology perspective in the specific higher learning institution. Using a qualitative approach, 13 participants performing academic and nonacademic roles formed part of the study. Overall, the participants experience regarding collaboration in an academic environment are reported to be in the form of shared goals, sense of unity, diversity, and solution-driven teams. Further participants experience in relation to collaboration is African culture [Botho principles]. The latter were perceived   contributors to collaboration within departments (intra); and few barriers to collaboration were discovered, such as criteria, lack of shared leadership, lack of collaboration champions or ambassadors. The concept of Botho is defined as a social contract of mutual respect, humanity, and responsibility that members have with one another often referred to as bringing in humanity onto a set environment. Although there are commonalities between Botho and Ubuntu, they however have dissimilarities and are underpinned by different cultures and traditions. Ubuntu is seen often used by a slogan, "I am because you are". Botho is Setswana or Sesotho concept while Ubuntu forms part of Nguni languages.  I then further conceptualize collaboration through the lens of industrial psychology from the results and offer future research recommendations in the current paper.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Short Course Handouts Bundle for the Training of Trainers Course: Introductory course to facilitating social learning and stakeholder engagement in natural resource management contexts

Signposts on the road toward transformative governance: how a stronger focus on diverse values can enhance environmental policies

  • Authors: Keleman, Eszter , Subramanian, Suneetha M , de Vos, Alta , Amaruzaman, Sacha , Porter-Bolland, Luciana , Islar, Mine , Kosmus, Marina , Nakangu, Barbara , Nuesiri, Emmanuel , Robles, Gabriela A , Yiu, Evonne , Emerton, Lucy , Zólyomi, Ágnes
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/415927 , vital:71301 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101351"
  • Description: Transformative change toward sustainability is increasingly recognized as inevitable to avoid the collapse of socioecological systems. However, for a deep and system-wide transformation, governance approaches and policymaking need to be changed too. This paper discusses how a diverse value approach in environmental policymaking could be undertaken to foster transformative governance that can further lead to system-wide transitions. Based on the analysis of different policy options’ transformative potential, we argue that the more diverse values addressed by a policy instrument, the bigger its transformative potential. Weaving values into policy decision-making is possible at several junctures of the policy process, but context-specificities should always be considered, and capacities must be enhanced at all levels, both for public and private actors.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Social ecosystem for skills research inclusivity, relationality and informality

  • Authors: Metelerkamp, Luke , Monk, David
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434871 , vital:73112 , ISBN 978-1529224634 , https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/transitioning-vocational-education-and-training-in-africa
  • Description: Eighty per cent of Africans work in the informal economy. In this chapter, we consider the highly informal, unregulated and often marginalized contexts that form the majority experience of living, working and learning. Situating the praxis of horizontal learning within these very normal contexts of informality demands renewed analysis into the questions of how horizontal learning is facilitated, by whom, with what resources, and why. Following on from Chapter 4, we develop our approach to social ecosystems further through two empirical case studies offering distinct lenses on to the informal sector. In Gulu, we consider the current dynamics of learning and inclusion among informal traders at a local market and in a set of food and clothing initiatives; in Alice, we reflect on an intentional effort on behalf of established, formal institutions to explore new approaches to teaching and learning through support of expansive informal learning in the context of food growing. While our focus across the book is on the range of labour markets and livelihood opportunities, it is appropriate to start our empirical chapters by focusing on the labour market of the majority.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Social innovation that connects people to coasts in the Anthropocene

  • Authors: Celliers, Louis , Costa, Maria M , Rölfer, Lena , Aswani, Shankar , Ferse, Sebastien
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/391410 , vital:68649 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1017/cft.2023.12"
  • Description: Post-industrial society is driving global environmental change, which is a challenge for all generations, current and future. The Anthropocene is the geological epoch in which humans dominate and it is rooted in the past, present, and future. Future sustainability is building on the momentum of the fundamental importance of studying human dynamics and governance of coupled social and ecological systems. In the Anthropocene, social innovation may play a critical role in achieving new pathways to sustainability. This conventional narrative review uses a qualitative analysis anchored in the Grounded Theory Method and a systematic collection and analysis of papers to identify broad types of social innovations. Scientific journal articles published since 2018 were prioritised for inclusion. The six types of social innovation proposed are (a) authentic engagement; (b) artful and engaging communication; (c) urging and compelling change; (d) governance for social-ecological systems; (e) anticipation in governance; and (f) lived experiences and values. The six innovations proposed in this paper can be embedded within, and form part of, social action using a science–society compact for the sustainable development of coasts in the Anthropocene.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Socio-Economic and Environmental Challenges of Small-Scale Fisheries: Prognosis for Sustainable Fisheries Management in Lake Kariba, Zambia

  • Authors: Imbwae, Imikendu , Aswani, Shankar , Sauer, Warwick H H
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/391422 , vital:68650 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043179"
  • Description: The Lake Kariba fishery is of regional importance; it accounts for 35% of the total Zambian fish production. However, emerging evidence in the recent decades suggests that the fishery is facing socio-economic and environmental challenges. Using Ostrom’s framework for analysing socio-ecological systems, we examined the social, economic, and environmental problems faced by the fishing communities in Lake Kariba. The framework links various social, economic, and ecological factors to devise a sustainable fisheries management plan. A combination of survey questionnaires, focus group discussions, observations, and key informant interviews were used to assess this sustainability challenge. The data collected were subjected to bivariate and descriptive analysis. The results obtained did not show a significant decline in fish production over the past 13 years (R2 Linear = 0.119, p = 0.248). However, the experts and the fishers have reported declining trends in valuable fish species such as Oreochromis mortimeri, compounded by the increased fishing efforts (X2 = 180.14, p value = ˂ 0.00001). The key threats identified include: overfishing, weak institutions, and the introduction of invasive fish species such as Oreochromis niloticus. This situation has raised fears of fish depletion among the stakeholders. Based on these results, we recommend stronger institutional collaboration among the stakeholders in the riparian states and education that illustrates the global value of fisheries for food security and biodiversity conservation in pursuing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Socioeconomic and geographic variations in antenatal care coverage in Angola: further analysis of the 2015 demographic and health survey

  • Authors: Shibre, Gebretsadik , Zegeye, Betregiorgis , Idriss-Wheeler, Dina , Ahinkorah, Bright Opoku , Oladimeji, Olanrewaju , Yaya, Sanni
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: Prenatal care , Mothers -- Mortality , Health surveys
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/4489 , vital:44125 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09320-1
  • Description: In African countries, including Angola, antenatal care (ANC) coverage is suboptimal and maternal mortality is still high due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. There is evidence of disparities in the uptake of ANC services, however, little is known about both the socio-economic and geographic-based disparity in the use of ANC services in Angola. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of socio-economic, urban-rural and subnational inequality in ANC coverage in Angola. We analyzed data from the 2015 Angola Demographic and Health Survey (ADHS) using the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) software. The analysis consisted of disaggregated ANC coverage rates using four equity stratifiers (economic status, education, residence, and region) and four summary measures (Difference, Population Attributable Risk, Ratio and Population Attributable Fraction). To measure statistical significance, an uncertainty interval (UI) of 95% was constructed around point estimates. The study showed both absolute and relative inequalities in coverage of ANC services in Angola. More specifically, inequality favored women who were rich (D = 54.2, 95% UI; 49.59, 58.70, PAF = 43.5, 95% UI; 40.12, 46.92), educated (PAR = 19.9, 95% UI; 18.14, 21.64, R = 2.14, 95% UI; 1.96, 2.32), living in regions such as Luanda (D = 51.7, 95% UI; 43.56, 59.85, R = 2.64, 95% UI; 2.01, 3.26) and residing in urban dwellings (PAF = 20, 95% UI; 17.70, 22.38, PAR = 12.3, 95% UI; 10.88, 13.75). The uptake of ANC services were lower among poor, uneducated, and rural residents as well as women from the Cuanza Sul region. Government policy makers must consider vulnerable subpopulations when designing needed interventions to improve ANC coverage in Angola to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of reducing global maternal mortality ratio to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

South African nose flies (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Rhiniinae): taxonomy, diversity, distribution and biology

  • Authors: Thomas-Cabianca, Arianna , Villet, Martin H , Martínez-Sánchez, Anabel , Rojo, Santos
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441400 , vital:73884 , 10.3897/BDJ.11.e72764
  • Description: Rhiniinae (Diptera, Calliphoridae) is a taxon of nearly 400 known species, many of them termitophilous. Approximatelly 160 valid species in 16 genera are Afrotropical, with over 60 of them occurring in South Africa. The taxonomy of this group is outdated, as most studies of the South African taxa were conducted 40 to 70 years ago (mostly by Salvador Peris and Fritz Zumpt). Published information on their biology and ecology is also scarce.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Special issue on moult in African birds

  • Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Erni, Birgit
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/449566 , vital:74830 , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2989/00306525.2023.2289255
  • Description: All birds need to replace worn and damaged feathers on a regular basis. Replacement of the flight feathers (remiges and rectrices) is particularly critical, since these influence the efficiency of flight, which in turn has a direct impact on foraging success, parental care and predator evasion. The remiges and rectrices are by far the largest individual feathers, and thus make up a large proportion of the feather mass that must be replaced. During the moult period, a bird must produce new feather material while coping with a reduction in insulation and waterproofing as well as potentially compromised flight ability. Consequently, the moult period is a critical element in the annual cycle, and its timing should minimise any negative effects on survival and reproduction.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Supporting Education for Sustainable Development through an Online Global Forum for Teacher Educators

  • Authors: Schudel, Ingrid J , Down, Lorna , McKeown, Rosalyn , Baumann, Stefan , Petersen, Andrew , Urenje, Shepherd
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435283 , vital:73144 , ISBN 9781538153840 , https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538153833/At-School-in-the-World-Developing-Globally-Engaged-Teachers
  • Description: The Online Global Forum on Education for Sustainable De-velopment (ESD) for Teacher Educators was launched in 2019 by colleagues from three continents who formed a group called ESD Innovate (hereinafter also referred to as Forum founders). ESD Innovate is made up of three African representatives, two European, and two from North America and the Caribbean. The group was formed during the Inter-national Network of Teacher Education Institutions (INTEI) conference in 2016. In discussions at this conference, we (the authors of this chapter and those who formed ESD In-novate) heard the need for ongoing professional develop-ment in ESD for teacher educators. Professional develop-ment programs regarding ESD are available for in-service teachers in some regions of the world, but few are available for teacher educators, especially initiatives designed for sus-tained engagement. Thus, the Forum aims to meet the need for continuing professional development of teacher educa-tors with an ESD focus. Additionally, the Forum was de-signed to bring teacher educators together from all over the world to facilitate collaboration between and among teacher educators and their student teachers in an intellectual dia-logue on the response of teacher education to the Sustaina-ble Development Goals (United Nations, 2015). At the same time, we aimed to share local and global experiences on the realization of relevance and education quality through ESD.
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  • Date Issued: 2023

Supporting social learning and knowledge management withing the ecological infrastructure for water security project

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