University of South Africa

Exploring collaborative problem-solving in AI-assisted robotics education

Prompt engineering (PE) involves creating, improving, and deploying prompts to improve large language model (LLM) performance. Despite its increasing importance, many students lack skills in this area. Although frameworks for prompt design and process exist, theory-based instruct...

Enhancing copper and cobalt hydrometallurgical leaching through deep learning-based process optimisation

This study presents a comprehensive machine learning framework for the optimisation of metallurgical parameters for the grinding, leaching and solid/liquid separation in a Congolese Copperbelt hydrometallurgical plant. Three deep learning architectures namely Deep Neural Network...

Hydrogen-bonding and molecular conformation in the isoniazid-derived hydrazone ( E )- N ′-[1-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)ethylidene]pyridine-4-carbohydrazide

Abstract C 15 H 15 N 3 O 3 , monoclinic, P 2 1 / n (no. 14), a = 8.3066(3) Å, b = 18.8588(6) Å, c = 9.6147(3) Å, β = 115.4260(10)°, V = 1360.28(8) Å 3 , Z = 4, R gt ( F ) = 0.0432, wR ref ( F 2 ) = 0.1014, T = 100 K.

A systematic review of geospatial and meteorological approaches to flood risk assessment and monitoring

Abstract Increasing flood frequency, exposure and impacts associated with climate change, rapid urbanisation, and environmental change have intensified the need for robust flood risk assessment and monitoring frameworks. This systematic review synthesises advances in geospatial,...

An Instance Space Analysis of Neural Network Training as a Black-Box Optimisation Problem

Training a neural network is an optimisation task that is commonly solved using gradient-based techniques, such as stochastic gradient descent or Adam. There are, however, scenarios in which black-box optimisation approaches, such as evolutionary algorithms, may be appropriate fo...

The relationship between artificial intelligence and food production in South Africa

This study examines the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and food production in South Africa. Annual data for 1995–2024 are analyzed using the autoregressive distributed lag bounds-testing approach. The bounds test confirms a long-run relationship among food prod...

The power prior for zero-inflated count models: Analysis based on episodes of urinary incontinence

We have extended the power prior approach for the zero-inflated count models. This helps to incorporate historical information into the analysis of a current study for the zero-inflated Poisson and negative binomial models. Our motivation is based on clinical trials conducted to...

Digital ambition under ecological constraints: Governing AI in climate-vulnerable South Africa

Artificial intelligence (AI) is promoted as a driver of development and sustainability. However, its deployment remains embedded in energy-, water-, material-, and land-intensive infrastructures operating under significant ecological and resource constraints. Drawing on environme...

Teachers’ perceptions of Comprehensive Sexuality Education implementation in South African schools: practice, context and constraints

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has been promoted internationally as a key means to address challenges related to HIV, adolescent pregnancy and gender-based violence. This article examines teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of this kind of approach in South Afric...

Beyond Survival: Rural Youth Perspectives on the Developmental Impact and Limitations of South Africa’s COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant

South Africa’s Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant provides an income floor to unemployed working-age adults who remain outside most categorical social grants. This article examines how 11 unemployed recipients aged 21–34 in Steenbokpan Village, Limpopo Province, experienced an...

The Empirical Impact of Social Investment on the Corporate Cash Holdings of South African Financial Institutions

This study examined the effect of social investment on corporate cash holdings in South African financial institutions, addressing a gap in the existing literature, which has largely concentrated on developed countries and non-financial industries. The research provides empirical...

Role of Resonances in Total, Coulomb, and Nuclear Breakup Cross Sections for Light and Heavy Targets

Abstract The influence of resonances on the breakup dynamics of the $${^6}$$ Li+ $$^{58}$$ Ni and $${^6}$$ Li+ $$^{208}$$ Pb systems is investigated using the continuum discretized coupled-channels (CDCC) method at incident energies above the Coulomb barrier. The calculated elast...

Reframing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Failure Through a Sustainability Lens: An Integrative Review of Survival Barriers in Developing Economies

Small and medium-sized enterprises, including micro-enterprises in developing economies, play a critical role in employment creation, poverty reduction, innovation, and economic resilience, yet failure rates remain high, particularly among young and resource-constrained firms. Sc...

A fast radio burst at redshift 2, three billion years after the Big Bang

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients from extragalactic sources. Their frequency and polarization properties are affected by plasma and magnetic fields along the line of sight to Earth. We report radio observations of FRB 20240304B and near-infrared...

Evolution of Research on Satellite-Based Monitoring for Algal Blooms in the African Great Lakes

Abstract Algal blooms pose significant environmental and economic challenges worldwide. As their impact increases, there is an urgent need to improve forecasting models that predict their occurrence, development, and trends. Understanding recent research developments in satellite...

On the universality of the Tense Phrase Hypothesis: Evidence from Lesotho

There has been a protracted debate about the universality of tense. In the lens of generative grammar, tense is considered a core functional category of a clause that marks the time of the action expressed by a verb. Tense is known for its function of licensing the grammatical su...

A Depiction of the Ministry of Presence During African Funerals: The Case of Burials in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality in Limpopo, South Africa

Death is one of the most painful realities of life that is inescapable. In African communities, death is not just an individual loss but a collective community loss and suffering. Therefore, the practice of the Ministry of presence is prevalent during funerals by both the communi...

A targeted review on pollution, sources and risks associated with PCBs in soil and sediment in Nigeria

ABSTRACT A graphical diagram showing the sources, exposure routes and health risk of PCBs in contaminated soil and sediment in Nigeria. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pose significant environmental risks globally, particularly in underdeveloped countries with inadequate waste h...

A semi-systematic qualitative evidence synthesis of South African public-school choir participation for adolescent HIV prevention education

Purpose: This article examines the potential of South African school choral music, particularly the ABC Motsepe South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod (SASCE), as a culturally embedded platform for strengthening HIV prevention education among adolescents in public schools. Metho...

Optimization of leaching efficiency and anomaly detection in a copper–cobalt hydrometallurgical plant using random forest, gradient boosting, and k-nearest neighbors

Hydrometallurgical extraction of copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) from oxide ores represents a critical industrial process in the Central African Copperbelt, yet operational variability consistently undermines recovery targets. This study presents a comprehensive data-driven analysis...