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Holding a mirror up to Academic Development through the HELTASA (un) conferencing methodology

- Williams, Sandra, Adams, Anthea, Geduld-van Wyk, Charlene, Muhuro, Patricia

  • Authors: Williams, Sandra , Adams, Anthea , Geduld-van Wyk, Charlene , Muhuro, Patricia
  • Date: 2024
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425705 , vital:72277 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.14426/cristal.v12iSI1.2117"
  • Description: We, Academic Development (AD) practitioners, question whether AD's objective in South Africa (SA) as a'liberatory educational and social movement'to enhance educational quality for all students, is effectively pursued. AD practitioners often work on the fringes of the academy, fighting for relevance and legitimacy within an increasingly performative and managerialist academic culture. Despite innovative AD initiatives AD work is criticised for being unresponsive, unreflexive, conformist, and lacking theoretical, scholarly, and critical engagement. We use critical pedagogical praxis, particularly the constructs of critique, reflexivity, power, and self-reflection, to interrogate the continuous tension between AD intention and practice. Through (un) conference methodology, this auto-ethnographic account of individual and collective engagements, using the" holding the mirror up" metaphor, critically questioned the tension and misalignments between the AD mandate and practices. Although in a SA higher education context, this research could be beneficial to HE contexts globally, given the ubiquity of AD work.
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Human–crocodile interactions in the western Solomon Islands: the importance of local data for reducing attacks on people

- Shankar, Aswani, Matanzima, Joshua

  • Authors: Shankar, Aswani , Matanzima, Joshua
  • Date: 2024
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/439922 , vital:73720 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060532300176X"
  • Description: Interactions between people and the saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus frequently occur on islands and in coastal regions. Saltwater crocodiles impact people's lives and livelihoods by attacking them, resulting in minor or serious injuries, and by interfering in people's foraging activities. Retaliation may include killing the crocodiles involved. To reduce such human–crocodile interactions, data about the occurrence of incidents are required. We present data on encounters with crocodiles and attacks on people in the Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands. Data includes time of incident, gender, age and activity of the victim, water conditions and what happened to the crocodile after the incident. We used a questionnaire to capture the details of incidents that occurred during 2000–2020 in the villages of Dunde, Baraulu, Nusa Hope and Kozou. Most incidents were in the evening, mostly involving women, and most victims were aged 20–39 years or ≥ 60 years. In all cases people were attacked while gleaning for shellfish in the mangroves. Attacks occurred irrespective of whether the water was clear or murky, and in all cases the crocodiles were not killed. Such site-specific data will facilitate the formulation of strategies for reducing negative interactions between people and crocodiles in this particular location. Although the saltwater crocodile is categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, research such as this provides data that can be used for promoting coexistence with and conservation of this species.
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Maize seed variety identification model using image processing and deep learning

- Gebeyehu, Seffi, Shibeshi, Zelalem S

  • Authors: Gebeyehu, Seffi , Shibeshi, Zelalem S
  • Date: 2024
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429191 , vital:72566 , DOI: 10.11591/ijeecs.v33.i2.pp990-9985
  • Description: Maize is Ethiopia’s dominant cereal crop regarding area coverage and production level. There are different varieties of maize in Ethiopia. Maize varieties are classified based on morphological features such as shape and size. Due to the nature of maize seed and its rotation variant, studies are still needed to identify Ethiopian maize seed varieties. With expert eyes, identification of maize seed varieties is difficult due to their similar morphological features and visual similarities. We proposed a hybrid feature-based maize variety identification model to solve this problem. For training and testing the model, images of each maize variety were collected from the adet agriculture and research center (AARC), Ethiopia. A multi-class support vector machine (MCSVM) classifier was employed on a hybrid of handcrafted (ie, gabor and histogram of oriented gradients) and convolutional neural network (CNN)-based feature selection techniques and achieved an overall classification accuracy of 99%.
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A Comparative Analysis of Speaker and Headphone-Based Immersive Audio in VR and Gaming Applications:

- Marais, Kyle, Foss, Richard

  • Authors: Marais, Kyle , Foss, Richard
  • Date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/426705 , vital:72384 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10289435
  • Description: Precise and accurate audio spatialization is crucial for gaming and Virtual Reality (VR) applications, as it is an essential aspect of the immersion experienced by users. When the audio of a virtual environment is synchronized with its visual sources and localized accurately, users are more likely to feel deeply engaged and suspend their disbelief. Audio Middleware software is commonly used in cooperation with game engines to meet the audio requirements of virtual environments created by game developers. This research paper presents a comparative analysis of speaker-and headphone-based immersive audio systems within the context of VR. The research findings indicate that, despite the headphone-based system offering more accurate audio localization and a higher ‘perceived audio quality’, the speaker-based system resulted in a greater sense of ‘immersion.’.
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Activated carbon-decorated polyacrylonitrile fibers and their porphyrin-immobilized composites for removal of methylene blue dye and Ciprofloxacin in water

- Oyim, James, Amuhaya, Edith, Nyokong, Tebello

  • Authors: Oyim, James , Amuhaya, Edith , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:65077 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10601325.2023.2183868"
  • Description: Photocatalyst adsorbents are an appealing group of materials for environmental applications. Herein, we study a new simple, inexpensive, yet very effective adsorbent photocatalyst based on porphyrin immobilized activated carbon-decorated polyacrylonitrile, InP(PAN/AC), for removal of methylene blue dye and Ciprofloxacin in water under Xe-lamp and sunlight irradiation (the latter for Ciprofloxacin only). Our results shed light on developing the most effective and sustainable adsorbent photocatalysts that can easily be industrialized due to the ease of preparation through electrospinning coupled with the readily available preparation materials. After five cycles, the InP(PAN/AC) maintained high methylene dye removal efficiency and structural integrity. Significantly, we propose the coordinated contribution of singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical in the photodegradation process and highlight the importance of such an integrated system with adsorption and photodegradation capabilities for water treatment.
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Asymmetrical zinc phthalocyanine conjugated to various nanomaterials for applications in phototransformation of organic pollutants and photoinactivation of bacteria

- Mgidlana, Sithi, Openda, Yolande Ikala, Nyokong, Tebello

  • Authors: Mgidlana, Sithi , Openda, Yolande Ikala , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360344 , vital:65081 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.134850"
  • Description: Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) complexes are linked to metallic nanoparticles covalently via amide and ester bonds. The photocatalytic activity of the conjugates of ZnPc complexes with NiWO4, Ag2WO4, CoWO4 and Ag-Fe3O4 nanoparticles are evaluated for photodegradation of methylene blue, tetracycline, and dibenzothiophene. The photocatalytic efficiencies of the prepared phthalocyanine complexes increased in the presence of nanoparticles. This work also reports on the photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy activity of these materials against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. The results indicate that Ag2WO4 based nanoconjugates exhibit high antimicrobial activity with higher log reduction compared to NiWO4, CoWO4 and Ag-Fe3O4 based materials.
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Best practices in the use and exchange of microorganism biological control genetic resources

- Mason, Peter G, Hill, Martin P, Smith, David, Silvestri, Luciano C, Weyl, Philip S R, Brodeur, Jacques, Vitorino, Marcello Diniz

  • Authors: Mason, Peter G , Hill, Martin P , Smith, David , Silvestri, Luciano C , Weyl, Philip S R , Brodeur, Jacques , Vitorino, Marcello Diniz
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/417927 , vital:71495 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-023-10197-3"
  • Description: The Nagoya Protocol actions the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity and provides a framework to effectively implement the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources. This includes microorganisms used as biological control agents. Thus biological control practitioners must comply with access and benefit-sharing regulations that are implemented by countries providing microbial biological control agents. A review of best practices and guidance for the use and exchange of microorganisms used for biological control has been prepared by the IOBC Global Commission on Biological Control and Access and Benefit-Sharing to demonstrate commitment to comply with access and benefit-sharing requirements, and to reassure the international community that biological control is a very successful and environmentally safe pest management strategy that uses biological resources responsibly and sustainably. We propose that best practices include the following elements: collaboration to facilitate information exchange about the availability of microbial biological control agents and where they may be sourced; freely sharing available knowledge in databases about successes and failures; collaborative research with provider countries to develop capacity; and production technology transfer to provide economic opportunities. We recommend the use of model concept agreements for accessing microorganisms for scientific research and non-commercial release into nature where access and benefit-sharing regulations exist and where regulations are not restrictive or do not exist. We also recommend a model agreement for deposition of microbial biological control agents into culture collections.
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Blended Agile Learning of Computer Architecture under COVID

- Machanick, Philip

  • Authors: Machanick, Philip
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/439141 , vital:73550 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grant-Ooster-wyk/publication/375547243_Beyond_the_Hype_A_Cautionary_Tale_of_ChatGPT_in_the_Programming_Classroom/links/654e3009b1398a779d76a75e/Beyond-the-Hype-A-Cautionary-Tale-of-ChatGPT-in-the-Programming-Classroom.pdf#page=45
  • Description: The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges. 2021 was an interesting year because we had overcome the worst of the teething problems of remote learning but were able to resume some in-person activities. I present experiences from a second-year computer architecture course that I have taught since 2014 to illustrate that some lessons from operating under pandemic conditions can apply to running courses under more normal conditions. 2021 was an interesting year because we reintroduced in-person pracs partway through this course, allowing students to reflect on the difference this made. Reflection on what did and did not work in the course points to possible improvements in pedagogy in more “normal” times. In isolation, the very positive feedback in a course survey may be flattering but there are useful insights to be drawn from what worked. Drawing on ideas from the social construction model of education, where students should be actively involved in learning, and agile software development, results in some insights that may generalize. The kind of feedback that is part of agile development can be layered on top of formative assessment. Empathy with difficulties faced by a class can make a class more involved in the strategy for course delivery. In 2022, without COVID constraints, some of the lessons were applied with positive outcomes.
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Check for updates Assessing the Impact of DNS Configuration

- Okuthe, J A, Terzoli, Alfredo

  • Authors: Okuthe, J A , Terzoli, Alfredo
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430917 , vital:72727 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34896-9
  • Description: Domain name system (DNS) is an essential enabler for connecting us-ers and services on the Internet. DNS translates human readable do-main names into IP addresses and precedes client connection to a server via a domain name. DNS service is therefore expected to con-sume network bandwidth even though it offers no direct benefit to the user. Having observed the large component of DNS traffic on the com-munity network local loop in our previous study, we migrated the DNS service from a server on the LAN to the gateway router and reconfig-ured the cache time-to-live. Results from the analysis of network traffic captured from the gateway router interface show a 26% decrease in the downlink bandwidth utilization and 46% decline in the uplink bandwidth utilization. The DNS component of the local loop traffic reduces from 45.28% to 4.11%. On the other hand, the Web component of the local loop traffic increases from 49.42% to 95.49%. Data collected from a mirroring port on the LAN switch indicate a decrease in the DNS portion of the internal traffic from 0.38% to 0.18%. Although the DNS reconfigu-ration helps alleviate network bandwidth constraints and reduces DNS component of the traffic, the Web portion increases. The implementa-tion of effective, efficient and sustainable Web traffic management is therefore required.
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Co phthalocyanine mediated electrochemical detection of the HER2 in the presence of Au and CeO2 nanoparticles and graphene quantum dots

- Centane, Sixolile, Nyokong, Tebello

  • Authors: Centane, Sixolile , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360372 , vital:65083 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2022.108301"
  • Description: In this work, cobalt tetra phenoxy acetic acid phthalocyanine (CoTAPc) is investigated as an electron mediator, immobilization platform for an HB5 aptamer and to enhance the electrochemical signal for the detection of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Furthermore, the CoTAPc was combined individually with sulphur/nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots (SNGQDs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs), on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via sequential adsorption. The CoTAPc and SNGQDs were also π-π stacked, used for electrode modification similarly to the rest of the other surfaces and applied towards the electrochemical detection of HER2. The designed sensors were characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The designed aptasensors showed detection limits as low as 6.0 pg/mL. The real life applicability of the designed aptasensors was tested in human serum samples. The aptasensors showed great storage stability, sensitivity and specificity towards HER2, implying great potential for applications in early diagnosis of breast cancer.
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Combination of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy and ciprofloxacin to combat S. aureus and E. coli resistant biofilms

- Openda, Yolande Ikala, Nyokong, Tebello

  • Authors: Openda, Yolande Ikala , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360384 , vital:65084 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2022.103142"
  • Description: Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) coupled with an antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (CIP), was investigated using two indium metallated cationic photosensitizers, a porphyrin (1) and a phthalocyanine (2). Applying PACT followed by the antibiotic treatment led to a remarkable reduction in the biofilm cell survival of two antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-nenative). Treating both bacteria strains with PACT alone showed no significant activity at 32 µM with 15 min irradiation, while CIP alone exhibited a minimum biofilm inhibition concentration (MBIC) at 4 and 8 µg/mL on S. aureus and E. coli, respectively following 24 h incubation. The combined treatment resulted in the complete eradication of the matured biofilms with high log10 reduction values of 7.05 and 7.20 on S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, at low concentrations. It was found that 15 min PACT irradiation of 8 µM of complexes (1 and 2) combined with 2 µg/mL of CIP have a 100% reduction of the resistant S. aureus biofilms. Whereas the total killing of E. coli was obtained when combining 8 µM of complex 1 and 16 µM of complex 2 both combined with 4 µg/mL of CIP.
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Contrasting effects of climate change on the invasion risk and biocontrol potential of the invasive Iris pseudacorus L. between Northern and Southern Hemisphere

- Minuti, Gianmarco, Coetzee, Julie A, Stiers, Iris

  • Authors: Minuti, Gianmarco , Coetzee, Julie A , Stiers, Iris
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423329 , vital:72048 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2023.105290"
  • Description: Iris pseudacorus is both a prized ornamental and an invasive aquatic plant that tends to grow dense monospecific stands, displacing the local vegetation and altering the hydrology of freshwater ecosystems. Originally from Europe, this species has historically invaded North America, China and Japan, and more recently spread through Argentina, South Africa and Australasia, where it is now a target for biological control. Field surveys within its native range have led to the selection of three candidate biocontrol agents. Prioritizing the best candidates for different regions constitutes a critical step, which could save significant time and resources before further cost-intensive experimental studies are conducted. Climate change is seldom taken into consideration in the prioritization process. In this regard, climatic suitability can be used to model the potential distributions of weeds and their candidate agents, both in space and time, thus allowing to identify areas at risk of invasion and predict where agents will be able to establish long-term. Accordingly, the objectives of this work were (i) to predict I. pseudacorus invasions and range shifts in the context of climate change; (ii) to identify wetland areas most at risk of invasion under present and future climatic conditions; and (iii) to prioritize the best suite of candidate biocontrol agents for different invaded ranges, worldwide. To do so, we modelled the present and future (2040–2060) climatic suitability of I. pseudacorus and its candidate agents using the software MaxEnt. Our results highlight a clear distinction between predictions for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In North America and eastern Asia, the area climatically suitable for I. pseudacorus is expected to increase and shift northwards. As for its biocontrol agents, very low suitability is predicted across these regions, further decreasing under future climatic conditions. On the other hand, climatically suitable areas for the plant in South America, southern Africa and Australasia are predicted, on average, to reduce in response to climate change. A decrease in climatic suitability is also expected for its candidate biocontrol agents which, however, would still maintain a significant range overlap with their host. These results can be used to prioritize areas most at risk of invasion and identify which combination of candidates could potentially provide the best level of control across different invaded ranges.
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Declines in Livestock Numbers Accompany Cropping Deagrarianisation Processes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

- Shackleton, Charlie M, Ntshudu, Monde

  • Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Ntshudu, Monde
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402248 , vital:69834 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091735"
  • Description: Deagrarianisation amongst smallholder farmers is a growing phenomenon globally, driven by a complex array of context-specific and higher-scale factors. Most research has focused on declines in arable cropping, with relatively little regard to the deagrarianisation dynamics associated with livestock ownership, yet the two are often linked through the need for draught power for ploughing. Here, we report on a survey of 293 rural households in 10 rural villages in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, where we ascertained whether ownership of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs had changed over the previous 15 years and what were the underlying reasons for any changes at both village- and household-scale. The majority felt that there had been a decline in the number of households keeping livestock and the number of animals in the village. Additionally, a clear majority of owners for each type of livestock stated that their households currently have fewer animals than 15 years ago. The main reasons for declines were that their animals had died due to drought or disease, theft, or they had sold them because of financial needs. There was a positive association between the keeping of cattle and field cultivation. Despite these general declines, two-thirds of households currently without livestock wished that they had some, primarily for use in cultural ceremonies/rituals or for income. This study shows the deagrarianisation processes in the region also apply to the livestock sector despite the significance of livestock in the local Xhosa culture. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of deagrarianisation in communal tenure systems.
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Development of a translation device for axiological-semantic density in political news articles: Wording and charging

- Siebörger, Ian, Adendorff, Ralph D

  • Authors: Siebörger, Ian , Adendorff, Ralph D
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/385311 , vital:68006 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-0156"
  • Description: The concept of axiological-semantic density from Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) is extremely helpful in analysing political knowledge-building, as it describes the strength of relations between various people, political stances and moral judgements, enabling these to be positioned in relation to each other. We present a multi-level translation device designed to identify strengths of axiological-semantic density in political news articles from the Daily Sun, South Africa’s most popular tabloid newspaper. This translation device was devised through analysis of selected texts from a corpus of 516 articles published between January and June 2015. It was developed through a collaborative process involving the first author and a team of student research assistants. The final translation device has five tools, of which two, the wording and charging tools, are described in this article, and then illustrated using an example analysis of a Daily Sun political news article. Both tools reveal insights into South African political discourses and ways in which axiological-semantic density can be enacted in future research. Making axiological-semantic density visible using such a translation device also has practical applications in assisting readers to understand the ways in which publications such as the Daily Sun position political parties, enabling them to engage more constructively in discussions on the country’s future.
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Distribution and impact of the native South African wasp, Megastigmus transvaalensis (Hussey, 1956)(Hymenoptera: Torymidae) on the invasive Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Anacardiaceae) in South Africa

- Mangenlele, Nwabisa L, Martin, Grant D

  • Authors: Mangenlele, Nwabisa L , Martin, Grant D
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416841 , vital:71390 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-ento_v31_n1_a12"
  • Description: Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Anacardiaceae) (Brazilian pepper tree) is a tree native to subtropical South America that was introduced into South Africa as an ornamental plant. Globally, it is regarded as one of the world’s worst invasive trees. In South Africa the tree has acquired a native seed-feeding wasp, Megastigmus transvaalensis (Hussey, 1956) (Hymenoptera: Torymidae). The wasp’s native hosts are from the Searsia F.A. Barkley genus (Anacardiaceae), but it has expanded its host range to form a new association with both S. terebinthifolia and its close relative Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae). In order to quantify the seed predation by M. transvaalensis on S. terebinthifolia seeds, tree populations were surveyed across the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The wasp was present at 99% of the S. terebinthifolia populations with an average of 22% of the seeds being destroyed. In the Eastern Cape province, the highest seed damage occurred at the start of the winter months, when about 35% of seeds were damaged. This fell to less than 12% in spring and summer when the plants were flowering. Megastigmus transvaalensis was found at nearly all the S. terebinthifolia populations in South Africa, but due to the limited number of predated seeds it is unlikely to reduce population sizes or curb the spread of the invasive alien tree in South Africa.
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Diverse values of nature for sustainability

- Pascual, Unai, Balvanera, Patricia, Anderson, Christopher B, Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca, Christie, Michael, González-Jiménez, David, Martin, Adrian, Raymond, Christopher M, Termansen, Mette, Vatn, Arild, Athayde, Simone, Baptiste, Brigitte, Barton, Davind N, Jacobs, Sander, Kelemen, Eszter, Kumar, Ritesh, Lazos, Elena, Mwampamba, Tuyeni H, Nakangu, Barbara, O’Farrell, Patrick, Subramanian, Suneetha M, van Noordwijk, Meine, Ahn, SoEun, Amaruzaman, Sacha, Amin, Ariane M, Arias-Arévalo, Paola, Arroyo-Robles, Gabriela, Cantú-Fernández, Mariana, Castro, Antonio J, Contreras, Victoria, de Vos, Alta, Dendoncker, Nicolas, Engel, Stefanie, Eser, Uta, Faith, Daniel P, Filyushkina, Anna, Ghazi, Houda, Gómez-Baggethun, Erik, Gould, Rachelle K, Guibrunet, Louise, Gundimeda, Haripriya, Hahn, Thomas, Harmáčková, Zuzana V, Hernández-Blanco, Marcello, Horcea-Milcu, Andra-loana, Huambachano, Mariaelena, Wicher, Natalia L H, Aydın, Cem I, Islar, Mine, Koessler, Ann-Kathrin, Kenter, Jasper O, Kosmus, Marina, Lee, Heera, Leimona, Beria, Lele, Sharachchandra, Lenzi, Dominic, Lliso, Bosco, Mannetii, Lelani M, Merçon, Juliana, Monroy-Sais, Ana S, Mukherjee, Nibedita, Muraca, Barbara, Muradian, Roldan, Murali, Ranjini, Nelson, Sara H, Nemogá-Soto, Gabriel R, Ngouhouo-Poufoun, Jonas, Niamir, Aidin, Nuesiri, Emmanuel, Nyumba, Tobias O, Özkaynak, Begüm, Palomo, Ignacio, Pandit, Ram, Pawłowska-Mainville, Agnieszka, Porter-Bolland, Luciano, Quaas, Martin, Rode, Julian, Rozzi, Ricardo, Sachdeva, Sonya, Aibek, Samakov, Schaafsma, Marije, Sitas, Nadia, Ungar, Paula, Yiu, Evonne, Yoshida, Yuki, Zent, Eglee

Do thermal requirements of Dichrorampha odorata, a shoot-boring moth for the biological control of Chromolaena odorata, explain its failure to establish in South Africa?

- Nqayi, Slindile B, Zachariades, Costas, Coetzee, Julie A, Hill, Martin P, Chidwanyika, Frank, Uyi, Osariyekemwen O, McConnachie, Andrew J

  • Authors: Nqayi, Slindile B , Zachariades, Costas , Coetzee, Julie A , Hill, Martin P , Chidwanyika, Frank , Uyi, Osariyekemwen O , McConnachie, Andrew J
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416851 , vital:71391 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-ento_v31_n1_a14"
  • Description: Chromolaena odorata (L.) RM King and H Rob. (Asteraceae) has been subject to a biological control programme in South Africa for over three decades. A shoot-tip boring moth, Dichrorampha odorata Brown and Zachariades (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), originating from Jamaica, was released as a biological control agent in 2013 but despite the release of substantial numbers of the insect, it has not established a permanent field population. Because climate incompatibility is a major constraint for classical biological control of invasive plants, and based on the differences in climate between Jamaica and South Africa and field observations at release sites, aspects of the thermal physiology of D. odorata were investigated to elucidate reasons for its failure to establish. Developmental time decreased with increasing temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 30 °C, with incomplete development for immature stages at 18 °C and 32 °C. The developmental threshold, t, was calculated as 8.45 °C with 872.4 degree-days required to complete development (K). A maximum of 6.5 generations per year was projected for D. odorata in South Africa, with the heavily infested eastern region of the country being the most eco-climatically suitable for establishment. The lower lethal temperature (LLT50) of larvae and adults was –4.5 and 1.8 °C, respectively. The upper lethal temperature (ULT50) for larvae was 39.6 °C whilst that of adults was 41.0 °C. Larvae thus had better cold tolerance compared to adults whereas adults had better heat tolerance compared to larvae. The critical thermal (CT) limits for adults were 3.4 ± 0.07 to 43.7 ± 0.12 °C. Acclimation at 20 °C for 7 days resulted in increased cold and heat tolerance with a CTmin and CTmax of 1.9 ± 0.06 and 44.4 ± 0.07 °C respectively, compared to the relative control, acclimated at 25 °C. Acclimation at 30 °C improved neither cold (CTmin: 5.9 ± 0.08 °C) nor heat tolerance (CTmax: 42.9 ± 0.10 °C). These results suggest that thermal requirements fall within field temperatures and are thus not the main constraining factor leading to poor establishment of D. odorata in South Africa.
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Dual action of asymmetrical zinc (II) phthalocyanines conjugated to silver tungstate nanoparticles towards photodegradation of tetracycline and inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

- Mgidlana, Sithi, Sen, Pinar, Nyokong, Tebello

  • Authors: Mgidlana, Sithi , Sen, Pinar , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360400 , vital:65085 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2022.114444"
  • Description: Asymmetric (A3B) Zn(II) phthalocyanines containing dimethoxy phenoxy as the dominant substituent and (phenoxy) propanoic acid (1), (phenoxy) acetic acid (2), and (phenoxy) acrylic acid (3) as the other substituents were synthesized and linked to silver tungstate nanoparticles (Ag2WO4 NPs). The photocatalytic activities of the prepared complexes 1–3 and nanoconjugates were evaluated for the photodegradation of tetracycline (TC) under visible-light irradiation and for photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) activity against S. aureus. The results revealed that complex 3 had the best photocatalytic and PACT performance compared to 1 and 2, corresponding to the higher singlet oxygen quantum yield of the former in dimethyl sulfoxide. The photodegradation reaction was also examined using EPR and a mechanism for generation of singlet oxygen under visible light was confirmed. Photoinactivation of S. aureus improved in the presence of TC, when the two are applied together.
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Electrocatalytic Behavior of Manganese and Cobalt Porphyrins Attached to Graphene Quantum Dots: Applied in the Oxidation of Hydrazine

- Jokazi, Mbulelo, Mpeta, Lekhetho S, Nyokong, Tebello

  • Authors: Jokazi, Mbulelo , Mpeta, Lekhetho S , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2023
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360411 , vital:65086 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.202200222"
  • Description: Manganese and cobalt metalated 5, 10, 15-tris(aminophenyl)-20-(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrins (ClMnTA3CPP and CoTA3CPP) were synthesized and attached to graphene quantum dots (GQDs) via π-π interaction and electrostatic interaction. The electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine was performed via cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The CoTA3CPP showed good electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of hydrazine in terms of catalytic rate constants and limits of detection (LoD). ClMnTA3CPP showed lower overpotential 0.60 V. The introduction of GQDs improved the electrocatalytic ability when combined with CoTA3CPP and ClMnTA3CPP with the lowest LoD (0.0025 mM CoTA3CPP–GQDs) followed by ClMnTA3CPP–GQDs with 0.0033 mM.
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Enhancing Object Audio Control within an Immersive Sound System

- Klingebiel, Lukas, Foss, Richard

  • Authors: Klingebiel, Lukas , Foss, Richard
  • Date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/426771 , vital:72390 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10289235
  • Description: Real time control over sound source positioning and movement is a primary advantage of object-based sound systems over channel-based systems. This paper describes a controller, processing engine, and associated library that enhances this object control. Apart from graphic spatialization control, the controller allows, for each object, the selection of its rendering algorithm, distance-based level, high frequency attenuation, reverb parameters and speaker isolation or locking. OSC control within the controller enables further control options.
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