University of Limpopo

Deoxynivalenol-induced intestinal toxicity in piglets is mediated by multi-kingdom microbial dysbiosis and metatranscriptomic reprogramming

Mycotoxin contamination of feed and food, particularly with deoxynivalenol (DON), poses significant threats to intestinal health in livestock, yet the role of gut fungi (mycobiota) and fungal-bacterial interactions remains unclear. Across four piglet experiments integrating multi...

Interrogating Learner Progression Policy in South African Schools Through Teachers’ Perspectives

Learner progression policy in South Africa is intended to promote inclusive education by reducing grade repetition and preventing learner dropout, yet its implementation remains contested, particularly in under-resourced schooling contexts. Drawing on teacher agency and socio-eco...

Beyond IPCC’s narratives on livestock: the need for integrated and holistic metrics

The early IPCC assessment reports (2001, 2007) predominantly conceptualised livestock in technical and efficiency-oriented terms, focusing on productivity and technological innovations, while the 2014 and 2022 reports embed livestock within broader socio-environmental frameworks,...

Nocturnal activity patterns and vertical space use of the Sundevall’s Thallomys (Thallomys paedulcus) in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa

Abstract Thallomys paedulcus (Sundevall’s Thallomys; Sundevall, 1846) is a nocturnal, arboreal rodent distributed across southern and eastern Africa, yet its behavioural ecology remains poorly documented. Here I present preliminary observations on temporal activity patterns and v...

Machine Learning-Based Crisis Detection Framework for Banking Systems: A Case Study of Nigeria

Banking crises are a persistent threat to macroeconomic stability in emerging markets, where conventional econometric monitoring frameworks often fail to capture non-linear macro-financial relationships. This paper examines whether machine learning algorithms can improve the dete...

An exploratory multi-indicator assessment of freshwater ecosystem health in two South African reservoirs

Abstract This study assessed freshwater ecosystem health by integrating chemical, biological, and microbial indicators. We conducted an exploratory comparison of Loskop Dam and Nwanedi-Luphephe Dam, South Africa, using water quality parameters, fish Health Assessment Index (HAI)...

From Airwaves to Algorithms: Tracing the Circulation of Community Radio Content into Social Media in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Community radio remains central to local public communication in South Africa, yet its entanglement with platformised media environments is poorly understood. This study examines how content from two community radio stations in Limpopo Province circulates on social media and how...

Participant attrition in a multi-regional population-based study in Africa: insights from the AWI-Gen study

Attrition in longitudinal studies, defined as the loss of participants over time, may threaten the validity of study results. This study examined patterns, magnitude, and risk factors for attrition in the AWI-Gen cohort. The study included 12,032 participants from six African sit...

Diurnal parental care in the sexually dichromatic Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix leucotis (Alaudidae)

Parental investment strategies are often predicted by sexual dimorphism, with dichromatic species expected to exhibit skewed parental roles due to sexual selection and extra-pair paternity. We investigated the division of diurnal labour (i.e. incubation, brooding, provisioning) i...