UWCScholar
This repository serves as a digital archive for the preservation of research outputs from the University of the Western Cape.
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Radio continuum spectra of SFGs in the XMM-LSS Field below threshold
(Oxford University Press, 2025) Ocran E.F.; Taylor, Andrew Russell; Vaccari, Mattia
This study investigates the radio spectral properties of KS-selected star-forming galaxies (SFGs) in the XMM-LSS (multimirror mission large-scale structure) field using extensive multiwavelength data. By employing various diagnostics, SFGs are distinguished from quiescent galaxies and AGN across seven redshift bins (0.1 ≤ z ≤ 3.0). The broad-band radio frequency spectral energy distribution is analysed at observer-frame frequencies from 144 to 1500 MHz using median stacking techniques correcting for median flux boosting. We investigate the relationship between the radio spectral index, α (where S ∝ να) and redshift (z). Our analysis reveals no significant inverse correlation between α and z, indicating that the radio spectrum remains independent with varying redshift. We fit the stacked median radio SEDs with a power law (PL), curved power law (CPL), and double power-law (DPL) models. For the DPL and CPL models, we observe a consistent steepening of the low-frequency spectral index across all redshift bins. For the CPL model, the curvature term q is greater than zero in all redshift bins. Model comparisons indicate that spectra are generally well fitted by all the models considered. At 1500 MHz, SFGs display both a steep synchrotron component and a flat free–free emission component, with a thermal fraction consistently around 11 per cent to 18 per cent. Further deep radio observations, with higher resolution to better deal with source blending and confusion noise and wider frequency coverage to better separate non-thermal and thermal radio emission, are required to reveal the detailed physical processes, thus clarifying the nature of radio sources.
Representation, activism, health promotion, and communication: the role of art in advancing global health and social justice
(Public Library of Science, 2025) Orth, Zaida; Reñosa, Mark; Perry, Kelly
This viewpoint advocates for the inclusion of art in global health discourse and practice. We explore four areas in which art can be leveraged to improve global health: to amplify disenfranchised voices, to advance social justice activism, to strengthen communities and individuals, and to improve global health communication. Drawing on community-driven art initiatives, we argue for an inclusive approach that respects diverse cultural perspectives and uplifts marginalized voices. Emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and ethical engagement, our framework invites global health discourse and practice to integrate art in order to foster empathy, challenge systemic inequities, and envision sustainable futures. By centering art, we seek to enrich the global health discipline with insights and transformative potential grounded in human experiences, cultural diversity, and shared humanity.
Sonic urbanism(s): listening to the city
(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2025) Rink, Bradley Michael; Gumede, Sibonelo; Moubachir, Ilham
This reflection on cultural geographies in practice draws upon experimental pedagogical practices from a Critical Urbanisms seminar entitled Sonic urbanisms: Sound, mobilities, culture and identity convened by the University of Basel and University of Cape Town. In the seminar we sought to explore the sonic aspects of Cape Town and its acoustic territories shaped through movements, circulations, and encounters. By experimenting with methods of listening to an African urban environment we offer insights to citiness developed through ‘sonic dérives’ – building on the concept from the Situationist International – that allowed our pedagogical process to drift with sounds: following, sampling, tracing. In this paper we seek to demonstrate firstly how our sonic dérives highlight emotional and affective relationships with urban space; and secondly, how our experiments shift us from hearing the city as a cognitive process of comprehension to listening as an active pedagogical and analytical process of speculation and imagination, straining towards possible meaning that is not immediately accessible. The outcomes of our sonic dérives illustrate how sound casts long spatial and temporal shadows, spreading across an acoustic territory without neat boundaries while also disrupting linear notions of past, present and future in the life of the African city through sonic connections to memories, desires and the formation of alliances. Through our experiments in sonic urbanism(s) the city is rendered in mobile acoustic territories that are fluid, ephemeral and intersecting as evidenced by a sonic map of Cape Town providing a multi-layered soundscape that is made visible and audible.
Care mobilities and associated contexts of hospital-based informal caregiving in Nigeria: towards an explanatory framework
(Public Library of Science, 2025) Somefun, Oluwaseyi Dolapo; Adebayo, Kudus; Omobowale, Mofeyisara
Hospital-based informal caregiving in Nigeria is shaped by care mobilities and contextual factors such as policy contradictions and normative care philosophies. This study explores how these factors influence caregiving practices in a Nigerian tertiary health facility. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered through interviews and observations, involving 75 participants, including 36 in-depth interviews with caregivers and inpatients, and 39 key informant interviews with staff like nurses, doctors, security guards, and ad-hoc caregivers. Findings showed that many informal caregivers traveled long distances to assist hospitalized relatives, often “hanging around” the hospital and engaging in micro-mobilities, such as running errands. Geographical distance, policy contradictions, and the financial costs of hospitalization significantly affected caregiving dynamics. Care mobilities caregivers moving within the hospital environment emerged as a critical aspect of the caregiving process. Understanding these mobilities and how they intersect with contextual factors is essential to improving caregiving experiences. The study highlights the need for policies that support informal caregivers and enhance patient outcomes, especially in terms of reducing the burdens caregivers face due to long travel distances, hospital policies, and financial challenges.
Assessment of SDG 3 research priorities and COVID-19 recovery pathways: a case study from University of the Western Cape, South Africa
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2025) Frantz, Josè; Erasmus, Pearl; Magidigidi-Mathiso, Lumka
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 3, particularly in developing countries, exacerbating existing health disparities and creating new challenges for health systems worldwide. This study explores the role of university research in advancing SDG 3 targets in a post-pandemic context using the University of the Western Cape as a case study. Through qualitative data analysis of research titles and abstracts registered between 2020 and 2022, we applied the WHERETO model of McTighe and Bloom’s Taxonomy to categorize research according to the SDG 3 targets and indicators. This approach provides insight into which health priorities were addressed through scholarly research at UWC in alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda, particularly during pandemic recovery. Our findings indicate that research priorities largely corresponded with South Africa’s health challenges, with the highest concentration of studies addressing non-communicable diseases and mental health (Target 3.4), infectious diseases (Target 3.3), and medicine development (Target 3.b). These priorities align with the National Health Research Committee’s identified health priorities for disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Notably, research on mental health and emergency preparedness (Target 3.d) increased significantly during the pandemic period, reflecting shifting priorities in response to COVID-19. This study offers critical insights into how university research shifted priorities adapted during the pandemic and identifies areas requiring focused attention to support post-pandemic recovery. By highlighting research gaps and opportunities, our findings provide a foundation for developing more comprehensive approaches to health research that address the disparities exacerbated by COVID-19 while advancing the 2030 agenda. This model could inform research prioritization at other institutions facing similar challenges in both local and global contexts