UWCScholar

This repository serves as a digital archive for the preservation of research outputs from the University of the Western Cape

Communities in UWCScholar

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 11

Recent Submissions

Bulbine alooides (Asphodelaceae), a revision of a misunderstood succulent from the Western Cape
(British Cactus and Succulent Society, 2026) van Jaarsvelc, Ernst J.; Tribble, Derek V
Several species of Bulbine resemble an Aloe. This paper clarifies over a century of confusion surrounding application of the name Bulbine alooides, first published by Linnaeus as Anthericum alooides. It is a perennial leaf succulent from the Little Karoo region of South Africa. A very different, deciduous, tuberous species to which this name has been applied in recent decades is given a new name, Bulbine neo-nutans. A key is provided for identification that includes other broad-leaved Bulbines from sur-rounding areas. Three synonyms are reallocated. The fieldwork sheds new light on historical literature.
Regional mesopelagic fish assemblages in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, and their relationships to hydrographic characteristics
(National Inquiry Services Centre Ltd, 2026) Chacate, Osvaldo Ernesto; Coetzee, Janet; Gibbons, Mark
Mesopelagic fish often dominate the micronekton in the mesopelagic zone. Despite their ecological importance, information about their diversity, distribution and abundance in some areas of the Indian Ocean remains patchy and incomplete. Using data collected from three acoustic/trawl surveys spanning the western (WIO), central (CIO) and eastern (EIO) Indian Ocean regions in 2018, we investigated the composition and structure of the fish assemblages that were sampled using different pelagic trawl types, namely Macrozooplankton and Multpelt, which targeted the deep scattering layer (DSL) and shallow scattering layer (SSL). We assessed the structure of mesopelagic assemblages across the region at the level of genus and family, and analysed relationships between the samples with concurrently collected hydrographic data using multivariate statistics. Mesopelagic fish taxonomic richness varied across the region, as follows: WIO–68 genera (13 unique), 34 families (4); CIO–48 genera (6), 35 families (5); and EIO–86 genera (26), 44 families (9). Although there was a pronounced difference in the structure of the assemblages by survey region, gear type and time of day (and many interactions between these), the assemblages were significantly impacted by water temperature, dissolved oxygen and aspects of the chlorophyll a environment— which varied across the sampled areas. Intriguingly, the spatial patterns (and diversity) observed when the mesopelagic fish assemblages were examined at the genus level were likewise reflected when the data were analysed at the family level. The implications of these results are discussed.
Antifungal impact of ozone micro-nano bubbles against anthracnose causative pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu lato: Unravelling the enzymatic and proteomic responses
(Elsevier, 2026) Klein, Ashwil; Mohamed, Gadija; Hüsselmann, Lizex
Anthracnose, caused by fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, leads to significant economic and postharvest losses in fresh fruit. Chlorine-based wash is often preferred as cheaper alternatives to fungicides during the packhouse handling processing. Strict chlorine residual limits or restrictions due to public safety, heightens the need for greener alternatives such as micro-nano bubble (MNB) water technology. Thus, this study investigated the comparative response of C. gloeosporioides sensu lato to ozone (O3)-MNB water and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) treatment based on enzymatic bioassays, and overall regulation of proteins. For both treatments in comparison to the untreated control, viability assays and morphological changes revealed spore mortality and obvious disruption to the cell morphology with loss in intracellular organelles such as mitochondria. Biochemical assays revealed that hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde concentrations were higher compared to the control. These treatments inhibited the antioxidant enzyme systems of superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase, leading to membrane lipid peroxidation. Proteomic analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins were primarily involved in cellular processes, cellular metabolic processes, and oxidative stress resistance for both NaOCl and O3-MNB. Moreover, O3-MNB suppressed peptide hydrolase and alcohol oxidase 1, key proteins involved in cellular metabolic energy production, and upregulated caffeine-induced death protein 2. Overall,
Oral health and the SDGs: unlocking missed potential for global health gains
(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2026) Benzian Habib; Mathur, Manu Raj; Listl, Stefan
Introduction: Oral health is a crucial yet neglected aspect of the global health and development agenda. Although oral diseases affect almost half of the world’s population, they receive little attention and public investment by policymakers, undermining progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Objective: The study aimed to 1) analyse the SDG framework through an oral health lens, identifying links across goals and targets, and 2) quantify the reduction in oral disease burden required by 2030 under a counterfactual status quo projection and 2 policy benchmark scenarios: one-third reduction of noncommunicable disease prevalence aligned with SDG target and 10% reduction based on the World Health Organization Global Oral Health Strategy & Action Plan (GOHAP) target. Methods: A systematic content analysis was conducted on the UN resolution “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Linkages were categorised across 4 dimensions: disease burden, determinants, system integration, and policy alignment. The Global Burden of Disease data were used to model a counterfactual status quo projection using the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) (2015–2019), disaggregated by World Bank income groups. “Improvement ambition,” representing potential preventable disease burden, was calculated as the difference between the status quo projection and each target. Results: Oral health was directly or indirectly linked to all 17 SDGs and 37 of 169 SDG targets, particularly SDGs 3, 4, 6, and 10. Achieving the SDG-aligned target could avert 981 and 649 million cases of caries of permanent teeth and periodontal disease, respectively, by 2030. Even with the GOHAP target of a 10% reduction, 373 and 272 million cases could be averted, respectively. Conclusion: Oral health is linked to the SDGs through shared risk factors and determinants with implications for equity and global development. The “improvement ambition” metric provides a practical tool for policymakers to benchmark progress and guide investments during this decisive decade. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Integrating oral health into SDG-aligned policy could avert up to 981 million cases of permanent caries and 649 million cases of periodontal disease by 2030. Even achieving the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan target would prevent hundreds of millions of cases globally. Our “improvement ambition” metric helps policymakers and researchers benchmark progress toward Universal Health Coverage, noncommunicable disease prevention, and health equity, highlighting that excluding oral health results in losses in health, productivity, and social progress.
MIGHTEE H Iobservations of low surface brightness and ultra-diffuse galaxies in the XMM-LSS field
(EDP Sciences, 2026) Jarvis, Matt J.; Sharma, Gauri; Adams, Elizabeth A. K
Untargeted neutral hydrogen (H I) surveys are well suited to identifying low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) that are gas rich, and they offer a complementary view to optically selected populations. We examined the LSBG population as identified via stellar and gaseous content using the MIGHTEE H I XMM-LSS early science data and the publicly available catalogs of optically identified LSBGs. There is currently little overlap between these datasets, with only three galaxies commonly detected. We performed surface brightness photometry of selected MIGHTEE H I detections to find 29 LSBGs, and 26 of these meet the size requirement (Reff > 1.5 kpc) to be ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). Furthermore, we extracted H I spectra at the location of all optically identified galaxies, placing upper limits on the H I-to-stellar mass ratio in these systems. While the H I-identified population overall tends toward bluer colors, the H I-identified and the optically selected samples mostly overlap in mean effective surface brightness, effective radii, and color. Although it is not straightforward to discern why the H I-identified LSBGs were missed in optical searches, this work highlights the utility of H I surveys in finding these faint systems. The H I-identified LSBGs are gas rich compared to the general H I-selected population. Furthermore, three out of four H I-selected UDGs with available kinematics show no systematic offset from the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation, although we are biased away from sources with low rotational velocities due to the low spectral resolution of the data. This work demonstrates the utility of H I observations for finding and characterizing the low surface brightness Universe.