UWCScholar

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Extraction of the giant monopole resonance strength with multipole decomposition analysis
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Jafta, Lesedi
It has been established from previous studies that the inelastic scattering of α particles at Eα ≥ 200 MeV, particularly at very-forward scattering angles including 0◦ , is an effective experimental probe for studying the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance (ISGMR) strength distribution (E0) in atomic nuclei. In recent studies at iThemba LABS, cross sections measured at 0◦ and 4◦ were used to extract the E0 strength in 40,42,44,48Ca via the corrected Difference-of-Spectra (DoS) method. This method is necessary to preserve any high energy-resolution information as obtained using the K = 600 spectrometer at iThemba LABS. However, it depends on the published contributions of multipoles with L > 0 from the same studies to which the DoS-derived E0 strengths are compared. Consequently, this raises concerns regarding the degree of independence of the iThemba LABS DoS results. The use of an alternative technique, the Multipole Decomposition Analysis (MDA), to extract the E0 strength distribution is, therefore, necessary. In general, for this type of analysis, it is crucial to collect data at more angles than just 0◦ and 4◦. This enhances the dataset and facilitates the inclusion of combinations of different multipolarities. However, based on previous inelastic 6Li scattering results at 100 MeV/u on 12C and 93Nb at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP) in Japan, it is considered that while a restricted MDA procedure (i.e. using data from only 0◦ and 4◦) may not precisely determine the strengths of higher multipolarities, it does allow for an accurate extraction of the E0 component independently of other studies. Therefore, this work aims to conduct an MDA on previously acquired experimental datasets for the 40,42,44,48Ca isotopes and perform a comparison with the results from the previous DoS method. Furthermore, comparisons are made with the ISGMR strength results obtained from RCNP and the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Cyclotron Institute. It will be shown that the MDA-extracted ISGMR strength results from the present study and those from the DoS method show reasonable and consistent agreement with those from RCNP for all four isotopes.
Acoustic remote sensing with deep learning enables non-invasive estimation of seabird nest density
(Elsevier B.V., 2026) Ludynia, Katrin; Terranova, Francesca; Todaro, Lorenzo
Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) is increasingly used as a non-invasive tool for biodiversity monitoring, particularly for species breeding in habitats where visual surveys are difficult or biased. The Critically Endangered African Penguin ( Spheniscus demersus ) is a highly vocal, burrow-nesting colonial seabird, making it an ideal species for evaluating whether soundscape data can be translated into reliable estimates of nest density. We deployed Autonomous Recording Units at multiple sampling points at the Stony Point Penguin Colony, South Africa, over two consecutive breeding seasons (2024 and 2025), capturing soundscapes spanning different nest densities and environmental conditions. We developed an automated detector for Ecstatic Display Songs (EDS), the species' territorial song, using a Convolutional Neural Network trained on a multi-source dataset from both in situ and ex situ recordings. The detector achieved high recall and precision, supporting the use of heterogeneous training datasets for reliable detection. To link vocal activity to nest density, we derived, for each sampling point, an index based on the maximum number of EDS detections across 30-min recordings and modelled its relationship with active nest counts using Generalized Additive Models. The index reliably predicted nest density, but the relationship was nonlinear: nest density rose as vocal activity increased before plateauing at higher levels. The model trained on 2024 data generalized well to independent 2025 data. Together, these results show that, up to intermediate densities, nest density can be reliably estimated from passive acoustic recordings alone. This approach requires no observer presence and is applicable to large-scale, long-term seabird monitoring.
A Five-Tier framework for understanding cyber-slavery and Institutional misclassification: evidence from 29,466 cases in Southeast Asia
(SAGE Publications Inc, 2026) Lazarus, Suleman; Sarkar, Gargi; Shukla, Sandeep K
Cyber-slavery converges human trafficking and transnational cybercrime by coercing trafficked individuals into cyber-enabled fraud through confinement, violence, surveillance, and control. This study uses a hybrid qualitative and administrative data design. It combines a systematic narrative review with preanonymized law-enforcement metadata on 29,466 Indian nationals identified as probable cyber-slavery cases in Southeast Asia between 2022 and 2024. From these sources, we develop a five-tier victimization framework that conceptualizes cyber-slavery as a layered sociotechnical process with probabilistic transitions a exploitation and its aftermath. Tiers 1-3 capture recruitment, coercion, and sustained exploitation. Tiers 4-5 capture postexploitation harms, including reintegration barriers, criminalization, and persistent incriminating digital traces. Cases show substantial male predominance (21,182 males; 8,283 females) and concentration among those aged 20-39. The wider cybercrime ecosystem included 633,000 Indian SIM cards and 376,000 mule accounts. Thailand emerged as a major transit hub, accounting for 20,450 cases. Prolonged exposure to coercive cybercrime environments may also facilitate transitions from forced participation to voluntary criminal involvement, complicating victim-offender distinctions and legal accountability. The study calls for trafficking-aware cybercrime investigations and reforms that recognize forced criminality within digitally mediated transnational crime ecosystems.
Legal responses to vigilantism in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Dlelembe, Abongile; Nortje, Windell
Despite the transformative ambitions of the Constitution, vigilantism in South Africa is rooted in widespread frustration with the failures of the criminal justice system, particularly weak policing, slow prosecutions, and declining conviction rates. These factors have eroded public trust in formal institutions. As citizens lose faith in the State’s ability to deliver justice, many turn to informal, often violent, mechanisms of self-help such as vigilantism. These practices are unlawful and they emerge as impulsive responses to systemic institutional collapse and the widening gap between constitutional promises and lived reality. This mini-thesis argues that vigilantism should be understood as a direct manifestation of structural dysfunction within the criminal justice system rather than as isolated criminal conduct. However, vigilantism remains unlawful and cannot be justified, even when it emerges from legitimate frustration with a collapsing criminal justice system. The constitutional order cannot accommodate self-help, no matter how understandable its origins. Yet it is equally true that individuals who engage in vigilantism should not be sentenced in the same manner as those who commit violence with a direct intention to cause harm for personal gain or malice. Drawing on comparative lessons from Ghana, a jurisdiction that has enacted anti-vigilantism legislation (the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act 999 of 2019), this research evaluates whether a similar statutory approach would rather deterrence, enhance prosecutorial clarity, and reinforce constitutional accountability.
Exploration of factors that delay decolonisation of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), National Certificate Vocational (NCV) and Occupational Electrical Engineering curriculum in the Western Cape, South Africa.
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Nzira, Lewis; Luckay, Melanie
This study explored factors contributing to delays in decolonisation of the TVET college curriculum, with particular emphasis on the National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) Electrical Engineering curriculum, which served as the central research question. The occupational component of the TVET Engineering curriculum was briefly engaged, because the site of study was still preparing for its eventual implementation. Some factors that stood out were inferiority complex and Ubuntu and their impact on TVET lecturers and students in relation to their interaction with the engineering content. The study followed an interpretivism paradigm qualitative research method while applying an exploratory research design. The target population was categorised into three groups, namely, TVET NCV students, TVET NCV lecturers, and community members. Twenty-four participants were selected from that population as a sample, using the non-probability and probability sampling techniques of a purposeful and systematic sampling method respectively. The study employed both closed-ended and open- ended questionnaires to generate data, which was analysed using a thematic approach. The conceptual framework guiding the study was Ubuntu, as articulated by scholars such as Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Letseka, Nkoane, Sesanti, Bangura, and Mutwa, among others. The findings revealed the presence of factors that delay the decolonisation of the TVET NCV Engineering curriculum. Moreover, these factors were found to significantly affect both students and lecturers within the TVET sector, leading to a set of proposed recommendations. One key recommendation was the use of the term Africanisation in place of decolonisation to better reflect the specific South African context of curriculum transformation. The study further recommended that large-scale research be conducted on an Africanised curriculum to examine its potential benefits and challenges for the country. In this study, the term decolonisation was used interchangeably with Africanisation, in recognition of the geographical context of the research. Additionally, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV), and Occupational Electrical Engineering were collectively referred to as the TVET Engineering curriculum.