University of Cape Town

High-Risk Clones of Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in India: Genome and Traits

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a notorious opportunistic pathogen constituting a major cause of health care-associated infections worldwide. Intrinsic resistance to multiple antibiotics, with acquired resistance mechanisms and hypervirulence make it a critical target for genomic inves...

Strengthening existing climate services and prioritising new opportunities for nature-based solutions

Abstract Co-production is essential for usable and useful climate services, yet expert-driven, supply-side approaches and limited engagement persist. We investigate the relationship between users’ current climate-service use and desired needs for completely new climate services f...

A complete correspondence between the Newman–Penrose and 1+1+2 formalisms

Abstract We establish a correspondence between the Newman–Penrose and 1+1+2 semitetrad covariant formalisms by expressing all Newman–Penrose spin coefficients, Ricci scalars, and Weyl scalars in terms of the scalar, vector, and tensor variables of the 1+1+2 decomposition. In addi...

Propionic Acid Remodels Mitochondrial Metabolism in SH-SY5Y Cells

Mitochondrial mechanisms are increasingly implicated in complex neurological conditions, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Propionic acid (PPA) is widely used to study mitochondrial dysfunction in preclinical models of ASD. However, the molecular mechanisms that drive PPA...

Prospecting MeerKAT Continuum Data for Enigmatic Radio Sources with Unsupervised Vector-Quantised Variational Autoencoders

Abstract We present a novel application of Vector quantised variational autoencoders (VQ-VAEs) as an unsupervised tool to probe deep 1.28 GHz radio continuum images taken from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS) and compare their performance to other machine learning...

Are AI language models scientific models of language?

Abstract There has been a recent surge of philosophical interest in AI large language models (LLMs) and their relevance for the understanding of human language. In this article, we take the perspective of the philosophy of science on modelling in general to consider whether LLMs...

The causal effect of drought on energy poverty

<title>Abstract</title> We use nationally representative panel data from rural areas and small towns in Ethiopia, matched with fine-resolution weather data, to investigate the impact of drought on energy poverty. Energy poverty is measured using the Multidimensional Energy Povert...

The Role of Meso-level Organizations in Climate Adaptation for Small-Scale Producers in Sub-Saharan Africa-insights from four African Countries

<title>Abstract</title> This analysis examines the meso-level organizations (MLOs) that are core climate change adaptation (CCA) actors responsible for interweaving micro-level rural community needs with macro-level policy and finance intentions, using qualitative data from four...

Validation of the AO Spine Osteoporotic Fracture Classification—effect of geographical region on reliability and reproducibility

Regional differences affect the reliability of the AO Spine-DGOU Osteoporotic Fracture Classification. European participants showed the highest agreement. This study underscores the need for addressing regional factors to improve the system’s global clinical utility. To evaluate...

Does the AMPD1 C34T Polymorphism Influence Physical Performance in Elite Athletes?

Background/Objectives: Adenosine monophosphate deaminase deficiency has been implicated in impaired exercise capacity. We examined whether the AMPD1 C34T (rs17602729) genotype was associated with athlete status and performance in distance runners (DR) and rugby union (RU) athlete...

Histoplasmosis in India: a systematic review of reported cases

BACKGROUND: Histoplasmosis is a systemic fungal infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum and is increasingly recognised in India, but its epidemiology, clinical spectrum, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes remain poorly characterised. We conducted a systematic review of reporte...

Simulation-based inference for AGN jet population modelling: Towards more robust comparisons of black hole jet speeds

Abstract We present the most complete modelling of the MOJAVE 1.5 Jansky Quarter Century active galactic nuclei (AGN) jet population, using likelihood-free simulation-based inference. Due to the complex impact of a flux-limit on observed AGN data sets, careful modelling of the pa...

One in seven has severe pain: a point-prevalence study of hospitalised patients across Africa

ABSTRACT: Acute pain in hospitalised patients is common, yet African data are scarce. We conducted a prospective point-prevalence study of hospitalised adult patients across Africa to determine acute pain prevalence and severity and investigate associations of pain with critical...

Building a genomics-capable cancer workforce: a competency-based framework for education and training in precision oncology

Background The Lancet Oncology Commission on cancer genomics and precision oncology identified workforce capability, education, and training as major constraints to equitable implementation. As genomic and multi-omic technologies become integrated into cancer care, structured app...

Diagnostic performance of a centrifugation-free stool processing kit in conjunction with Xpert®MTB/RIF Ultra for paediatric tuberculosis: a multicentre prospective study in five low and middle-income countries

Diagnosing paediatric tuberculosis (TB) remains challenging. Currently available diagnostic tests have limited accuracy, and most sampling methods are invasive. In 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) endorsed the use of molecular WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic tests (mWRD...

Bridging theAIDivide in Drug Discovery: PracticalLessons from Capacity Strengthening in Africa

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of drug discovery in high-income countries. However, these advances have yet to be broadly adopted by research ecosystems in many low- and middle-income countries in Africa, where understudied infectious diseases,...

The Implied Student

This study argues that life skills, as conceptualized in South African vocational education, are disconnected from the lived realities of mature women students. A hermeneutic curriculum analysis of official guides and textbooks used in life skills education (LSE) in a South Afric...

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Guideline on Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Management for Low- and Middle-Income Countries

There is a pressing need to address the unique challenges of managing Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), where mental health resources are scarce and unevenly distributed. To develop this evidence-based guideline, we conducted a sy...

When Should Demographics Enter the Prior? Conditional Exchangeability in Bayesian Estimation of Risk Preferences

Hierarchical Bayesian models for the estimation of individual risk preferences typically assume that subjects are unconditionally exchangeable: prior to seeing any data, every subject is treated as a draw from a common population distribution. We examine the consequences of relax...

eRASSU J043115.8-711730 The first pulsating symbiotic super-soft X-ray source in the Magellanic Bridge

Abstract The Magellanic Bridge stellar population is a relic of the tidal interaction between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. A comprehensive view of the evolution of the Bridge stellar population requires probing the compact remnants of stellar evolution, otherwise hidden...