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A Spider Wasp Optimizer-Based Deep Learning Framework for Efficient Citrus Disease Detection
No full textManaging citrus diseases is important for lowering crop losses and raising the economic value of citrus output. To provide a novel approach for the identification and classification of three significant citrus diseases—Citrus Canker, Citrus Greening, and Citrus Black Spot—this study uses a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) optimized using the Spider Wasp Optimizer (SWO). Traditional disease diagnosis methods heavily rely on expert visual inspection, which is often subjective and time-consuming. To overcome these drawbacks, the proposed SWO-DCNN model automates hyperparameter tuning, improving classification accuracy and reducing computation time. Citrus image datasets containing both healthy and infected samples were pre-processed using grayscale conversion, normalization, and augmentation, and then trained using a 10-fold cross-validation technique. Performance evaluations based on sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate, accuracy, and identification time show that the SWO-DCNN outperforms the conventional DCNN in every disease category. With accuracies of 96.22%, 96.51%, 95.70%, and 97.04% for the classification of Black Spot, Greening, Canker, and overall healthy/non-healthy, respectively, the SWO-DCNN significantly reduced false positive rates and recognition times. This paper contributes to knowledge by presenting the Spider Wasp Optimizer, a hyperparameter tuning technique for deep learning models used in the identification of agricultural diseases. The SWO-DCNN framework offers a dependable and scalable approach for automated citrus disease classification by enhancing model performance and computational efficiency. This innovation supports precision farming initiatives and provides a reliable alternative to traditional diagnostic methods, which may improve export quality control and reduce citrus farming\u27s financial losses
Granite spalling as a proxy of climate change during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene at Pomongwe Cave, Matobo World Heritage Landscape
No full textThere is limited palaeoenvironmental data on Zimbabwe, primarily because the usual proxies used for climatic reconstructions are rarely preserved in the Zimbabwean archaeological record. Against this background, this research seeks to assess the practicality of using granite spalls that occur in the archaeological record as signatures of past climatic changes. We hypothesise that the size of spalls and the rate of exfoliation are dependent upon climatic conditions such as temperature and precipitation. We apply this principle by analysing the size and concentration of granite spalls within the stratigraphy of Pomongwe Cave, to reconstruct the palaeoclimatic conditions that prevailed during its occupation. Our results indicate that the environmental conditions changed through time, and this is reflected by the occurrence of granite spalls of varying sizes and concentrations. However, the results in this paper present a proof of concept that requires further investigation
Appendix 2: Kebun Jambu Pledge on Women’s Religious Leadership
No full textKebun Jambu Pledge on Women’s Religious Leadershi
An Analytical Review of Kim Berman’s Art Therapy Training in South Africa: Pedagogical Strategies for Social Action During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textRecent interest amongst local and international art therapists in the expediency of art therapy in the advancement of social justice, has grown. This paper offers a critical review of Kim Berman’s most recent chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Arts and Global Development, published in August 2024. The paper summarises Berman’s pedagogical philosophies of social action within the context of the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) pioneering art therapy (AT) programme which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it offers insights into Berman’s selected methodology and the findings thereof. The paper seeks to provide an overview of Berman’s work, emphasising her contribution to the pedagogy of art therapy and social justice. Limitations are briefly discussed, and suggestions for future investigation offered
Seeing Differently, Seeing Anew: The Strategic Use of Young Girl Narrators/Focalisers in Recent Queer African Short Fiction
No full textith a focus on two recent queer-themed short stories from Kenya and South Africa, this article considers how the use of a child focaliser in fictional representations of early experiences of same-sex desire can disrupt and subvert ideals of childhood ‘innocence’ and the problematic conflation of paedophilia with same-sex sexuality. The two stories discussed in this article – Idza Luhumyo’s “Nine Pieces of Desire” (2017) and Kharys Laue’s “Plums” (2018) – importantly narrate childhood experiences of same-sex sexuality that are not associated with paedophilia or sexual abuse, but that rather focus on young protagonists’ experiences of the restrictiveness and violence associated with hetero-patriarchal norms. The article argues that the stories eschew the simplistic binary of innocent children/perverse homosexuals in two important ways. Firstly, the stories re-frame the notion of same-sex sexuality itself as ‘perverse’ and violent by instead locating violence and repression within the hetero-patriarchal norms that are ostensibly meant to protect children from harm. Secondly, through the use of complex characterisation and the unabashed depiction of childhood sexuality, the stories implicitly challenge the ideal of childhood ‘innocence’: an ideal which is central to discourses and constructs that diametrically oppose ‘innocent children’ with ‘perverse homosexuals’. The article also explores how the use of a child’s perspective can help us to see socially constructed adult norms ‘anew’. In contrast with the delimitations and divisiveness of heteropatriarchy and its interconnected systems of power, the stories’ young focalisers represent instinct, defiance, and relationality: qualities and alternative points of view that could have wider implications for debates surrounding same-sex sexualities in contemporary African contexts
A Geopolitical Intervention in African Religious Studies: Global Salafi and Shia Identities in the Neighbourhoods of Jos, Nigeria
Get PDFThe study of Islam in Africa is undergoing significant transformation as global geopolitical dynamics influence local religious landscapes. The geopolitics of religion between Saudi Arabia and Iran has led to a flow of international students and ideas from the Middle East to Africa, including northern Nigeria. The extension of the Middle Eastern religious soft power on the African religious landscape has generated new trends in the study of Salafism, political Islam, religious extremism, Salafi transnational media, digital Salafism, religious conflicts, and the rise of Shiism in the region. This article reviews relevant scholarship on this subject and explores the impact of these interventions on religious identities in the Anguwan Rogo neighbourhood of Jos. By examining how these transnational Islamic ideologies shape local communities, the article highlights the complexities of religious identity formation in a context marked by both global influences and local realities. The article indicates how these global movements are appropriated, adapted, and contested within the socio-political landscape of Jos. These findings underscore the importance of understanding religious identity in Africa as a dynamic interplay between global trends and local contexts, offering new insights into new trends and developments in the academic study of religion in Africa.
Exploring the Impact of Religious Beliefs on Job Performance in Nigeria\u27s Construction Sector
Get PDFReligious beliefs are widely recognised as shaping individuals\u27 ethical orientations, behavioural tendencies, and interpersonal interactions. However, their specific influence on job performance within labour-intensive sectors such as construction remains insufficiently examined. This study explores the relationship between religiosity and job performance among construction site workers in selected states of Southwest Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 396 construction site managers and supervisors, resulting in 289 completed surveys (73.0% response rate). Following data cleaning, 263 valid responses (66.4%) were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Key performance indicators assessed included punctuality, quality of workmanship, safety compliance, and teamwork. The Kruskal–Wallis H test was employed to examine differences in performance outcomes across religious affiliations. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in any of the 27 performance variables across religious groups (p > 0.05), suggesting that religiosity does not serve as a determinant of job performance in this context. These findings imply that worker effectiveness in the construction sector is more closely associated with individual competencies and professional practices than with religious identity. The study underscores the value of merit-based workforce evaluation and advocates for inclusive policies that accommodate religious diversity without bias. Implications are offered for industry practitioners, policymakers, and human resource managers seeking to enhance workforce productivity and cohesion in multi-religious construction environments
Some Burn Too Bright: Remembering Tshidiso Moletsane
No full textThe winner of the 2022 Sunday Times Award and finalist of the UJ Prize for South African Writing, Tshidiso Moletsane’s novel Junx (2021) made an indelible mark on the South African literary scene with its powerful portrayal of a young Black man frantically attempting to escape his mental anguish while roaming the nightly streets of Johannesburg, sinking deeper and deeper into his own depression, yet never losing his self-deprecating humour. Far from being a city of gold, the Joburg of Junx is “a city in enormous discomfort, a city in mourning” (94) —a city symbolic of larger struggles that continue to shape Black life in South Africa. As it offers an unflinching lens onto post-apartheid society, Junx ultimately suggests that the consequences of white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and racial inequality are nothing less than devastating for poor Black South African youth
Neglectful Parenting Style and its Impact on the Upbringing of the Girl child as Depicted in M.E. Wanda’s Kunjalo-ke
Get PDFThe upbringing of a child plays a critical role in shaping their personality, behavior, and overall development. This process entails the act of nurturing and guiding a child to maturity. It encompasses emotional, social, and intellectual support parents or caregivers provide for children. Neglectful parenting, however, a style characterised by a lack of responsiveness, attention, and emotional involvement by parents, poses significant challenges, particularly to the girl child. This paper explores the impact of this type of parenting style on the upbringing of the girl child through the lenses of social learning theory. It highlights the evident challenges and long-term consequences as depicted in M.E. Wanda’s novel, Kunjalo-ke. The article examines the immediate and lasting effects of neglectful parenting. This includes lack of trust, impaired social development and poor academic performance, lack of emotional security and identity formation, sense of deceptiveness, and intergenerational trauma
The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Teaching and Learning: Coping Strategies for Foundation Phase Educators in Capricorn South District – Limpopo Province
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase (FP) at Moonlight Primary School, a rural Quintile 1 school in Capricorn South District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with three FP educators, document analysis, and field notes. Findings reveal that limited technological infrastructure, inadequate access to learning materials, and insufficient digital literacy training posed major barriers to effective teaching and learning. Educators adopted low- tech coping strategies such as distributing printed materials, using phone calls and SMS to engage parents, and utilising community radio programmes to sustain learning continuity. However, persistent challenges, including the digital divide, inconsistent parental involvement, and limited institutional support, deepened educational inequalities. The study underscores the need for targeted investment in digital infrastructure, comprehensive educator training in blended learning, and decentralised support mechanisms to enhance educational equity and resilience in under-resourced rural contexts