Central University of Technology

PERFORMANCE OF HIV DRUG RESISTANCE EARLY WARNING INDICATORS AND ASSOCIATED PROGRAM FACTORS IN LESOTHO DURING THE DOLUTEGRAVIR ERA

HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) remains a major threat to the long-term effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs, particularly in settings where routine resistance testing is limited. Although dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens have improved treatment durability, program...

Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polylactic Acid Composites: 3D Printing, Life Cycle Assessment, and Applications

Natural fiber-reinforced biopolymer composites are an attractive class of materials owing to their renewability, sustainability, and eco-friendliness. Meanwhile, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is transforming the manufacturing industry and gaining popularity for fabricating intr...

Soursop-Derived Gut Metabolites Restore Adipose Metabolic Homeostasis and Attenuate Fructose-Induced Adipotoxicity: Mechanistic Insights into the Soursop–Gut–Adipose Axis

Adipotoxicity is a major contributor to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and increasing evidence highlights the gut–adipose axis as a promising therapeutic target. Soursop (Annona muricata) is rich in phytochemicals that can be biotransformed by the gut microbiota into bio...

Natural Ellagitannins as Potential Therapeutic Agents for Metabolic Syndrome-Related Disorders

Over the years, metabolic syndrome (MetS) has emerged as one of the most significant public health challenges, driven by the global increase in obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary patterns, and population aging. Ellagitannins are a class of hydrolysable tannins that h...

Effective and organ doses for chest-abdomen imaging in neonates: Effects of simulated radiation field size and number of performed X-ray images

Introduction Suboptimal collimation practices during neonatal chest-abdomen imaging may expose organs to unnecessary radiation, while repeated imaging contributes to cumulative radiation dose. This study evaluates the effects of radiation field size and the number of performed X-...

Tailoring structural and optical properties of CdSe thin films deposited with nominal Tb³⁺ precursor concentrations (0–10 mol%) via chemical bath deposition

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition using nominal Tb³ ⁺ precursor concentrations of 0 –10 mol% at 80 °C. The influence of increasing Tb precursor concentration on the structural, morphological, and optical properties o...

High-Efficient Cs2AgBiBr6 Perovskite Solar Cells with Rare-Earth-Doped Absorber and Front Contact: A Numerical Modeling in SCAPS-1D Framework

This work proposes a simplified HTL-free PSC structure based on Cs2AgBiBr6 doped with praseodymium (Pr3+). By reducing interfacial layers, this design reduces defect-induced recombination and increases the resistance of the device under environmental stresses (such as temperature...

First report of cladode spot caused by Alternaria alternata on Opuntia robusta in South Africa

Opuntia robusta is a cactus species cultivated for both fodder and fruit production. In November 2024, cladode spot symptoms were observed on approximately 60% of O. robusta plants cultivated at an experimental farm in Bloemfontein (29.1035° E, 26.1740° S), South Africa. Symptoms...