UWCScholar
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Recent Submissions
Babane Vusiwana C
(AOSIS Publishing, 2025) Socioecologicaleconomic Reflections on The impacts of Covid-19 in Africa
When the first coronavirus disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) case was diagnosed in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, no one would have predicted its rapid global transmission pace. As physicians, epidemiologists and policy makers were frantically investigating the pathogen’s natural reservoir, it rampantly spread to all continents. Beginning with a few cases identified in Wuhan (Li, Liu & Ge 2020), by mid-June 2023, ‘there were 767,984,989 confirmed cases of COVID-19’ globally (World Health Organization [WHO] 2023, p. 1). This exponential increase in global infections from 2019 to 2020 as well as morbidity and mortality rates impelled the WHO to declare COVID-19 a global health emergency of international concern in early 2020 (Sohrabi et al. 2020). By the time, this WHO declaration was lifted in May 2023, COVID-19 had claimed the lives of 6,943,390 people worldwide (WHO 2023) of which 256,542 were Africans (Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 2023). These high mortality statistics at a global level were because of the initial lack of safe, effective vaccines and later, their delayed roll out post-development because of regulatory and policy approval bottlenecks. There are, however, continental and country-level variations that explain delayed vaccine roll out and, in some cases, outright limited access. A case in point is South Africa, which I use as a reference point in this chapter to argue that thousands of lives and livelihoods were lost because of a complex combination of factors that include profiteering by big pharmaceutical
Advancing a circular bioeconomy: unlocking the potential of banana pseudostem for microbially-derived value-added products
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Sewsynker-Sukai Y.; David, Anthea Naomi; Laltha, Milesh
Bananas have been touted as a vital food crop, that is typically cultivated under tropical climates and generates high volumes of wastes. Of particular interest, banana pseudostem (BP) is a lignocellulosic waste that is renewable, abundant and may serve as a low-cost carbon source for generating a spectrum of high-value bio-based products. However, high production costs have restricted its mainstream adoption. This review explores the suitability of BP as a bioprocessing substrate, assessing advances in pretreatment strategies for enhanced sugar recovery towards efficient downstream microbial conversion into value-added products. Additionally, comparative analysis of reported studies identifies the gaps encountered in bioprocess development and optimization, and highlights the opportunities for process integration and waste valorization. Beyond the bioprocessing stage, logistical constraints surrounding BP characteristics, decentralized availability, and transportation inefficiencies were summarized. Potential mitigation strategies such as localized biorefinery hubs, preprocessing, and integrated supply chain networks were critically discussed as pathways to improve substrate availability and process economics. Finally, the review outlines future prospects to integrate BP-based systems into circular bioeconomy models by coupling waste-based pretreatment optimization with value-added product recovery and sustainable logistics planning.
Detecting the turnover of the power spectrum with SKAO and other surveys
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Dube, Yolanda
Detecting the turnover of the power spectrum with SKAO and other surveys. This thesis explores the potential of next-generation experiments, specifically the Square Kilometre Array and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, to detect and constrain the power spectrum turnover, a key feature of the universe’s large-scale structure holding the key for probing ultra-large scales. Employing intensity mapping and galaxy surveys, we utilize Fisher forecasts and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations to model and analyze this subtle cosmological signature. Our findings reveal that SKA-MID Band 1 demonstrates the highest detection significance and Figure of Merit, establishing it as the most promising instrument for this endeavor. However, foregrounds introduce a bias on the detected value of the turnover position. While DESI surveys excel at probing small-scale structures, they effectively complement intensity mapping surveys, crucial for a holistic understanding of the universe’s matter distribution. We address significant challenges such as foreground contamination and analyze the effects of the telescope beam, which can obscure the turnover signal for intensity mapping observations. Our study emphasizes the importance of advanced foreground cleaning techniques and beam-induced bias correction for accurate cosmological analysis. This work confirms the feasibility of detecting the power spectrum turnover with observational tools and provides a critical comparative evaluation of current methodologies across various surveys. The insights discussed lay a robust foundation for future research dedicated to refining our understanding of cosmic evolution and its governing parameters as well as addressing the Hubble tension.
Quality of care offered by health care retail markets for medication abortion self-management: Findings from states in Nigeria and India
(Public Library of Science, 2025) Omoluabi, Elizabeth; Shankar, Mridula; OlaOlorun, Funmilola Morinoye
Dispensing of misoprostol and mifepristone by pharmacies and chemist shops for self-management of medication abortion (MA) fills a crucial gap in settings where abortion care by trained health professionals is not readily available. This promising service delivery pathway, endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is hindered by concerns of poor-quality care. Simulated clients collected data on MA pill dispensing practices from 92 pharmacies and chemist shops in three Nigerian states and 127 pharmacies in an Indian state that we have anonymized. Guided by the WHO’s abortion guideline, we measured process-related quality indicators such as medication use instructions, warning signs, and respectful treatment among other aspects. We aggregated indicators under three domains: technical competence, information given to clients, and client experience. Overall, 51% of facilities in the Nigerian states and 32% in the Indian state offered MA pills. Most dispensing facilities offered the misoprostol-only regimen in Nigeria (68%) and the combination regimen in the Indian state (83%). Among facilities offering MA pills, 26% in Nigeria and 78% in the Indian state provided correct instructions on route of pill administration. Accurate information on the appropriate interval between pill type in the combination regimen was low in Nigeria (27%) and the Indian state (14%). Excessive bleeding as a warning sign was discussed more frequently in the Indian (56%) versus Nigerian states (32%); other abnormal bleeding patterns were rarely mentioned. Aggregate technical competency scores were low at 18% in Nigeria and 34% in the Indian state, with highest scores for client experience at 90% and 91% respectively. Findings suggest that people using MA pills purchased from the retail market are not given accurate and adequate information for most effective self-use. If MA self-management remains outside regulatory boundaries, technical quality will remain sub-standard, imposing unnecessary costs to people, their health, and health systems.
A systematic review assessing the association between extreme temperature exposure and cardiovascular health outcomes in Africa
(Academic Press Inc., 2025) Sello, Mamakase G.; Kyeyune, Jemimah; Kgatla, Hellen; Mchiza, Zandile J
The African continent is grappling with a rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in conjunction with the growing threat of climate change and its associated extreme temperatures. This systematic review aims to assess the relationship between extreme temperature exposures (heat and cold exposure) and cardiovascular health outcomes in African populations. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in compiling this evidence. A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed-Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar as the primary databases to identify relevant studies published from January 1990 to October 2024. Both hot and cold temperature extremes were linked to detrimental cardiovascular outcomes related to stroke. Exposure to sudden drops in minimum temperature exceeding 2.4 °C was linked with a 43 % higher risk of stroke. Elderly women (≥65-years) exposed to cold had the highest mortality rates and were more vulnerable to air pollution interactions during moderate temperatures (20–23 °C). Exposure to high temperatures (>37 °C) was associated with increased rates of heart failure and stroke. Hypertension was identified as a significant risk factor, with 37.6 % of stroke patients having pre-existing hypertension; notably, 86.2 % of these cases were linked to heat exposure. The highest CVD vulnerability was observed among females, older adults, and rural dwellers. The evidence presented in this systematic review suggests that exposure to both extreme cold and heat significantly contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, further studies are needed to validate and strengthen these findings.