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Generation and characterisation of DNA aptamers targeting SARS-COV-2 proteins for potential use in diagnostic platforms
No full textCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is among the most life-threatening infectious illnesses globally and has led to millions of hospital admissions and fatalities. Lack of Point-of-Care (PoC) diagnostic tools for COVID-19 delays control of the disease, predominantly in resource-limited areas, and is linked to significant economic impact. Therefore, there is a need for simple, rapid, accurate, and affordable POC diagnostics to detect active COVID-19 early enough for favourable interventions. To develop COVID-19 detection tools that will constitute such diagnostics, our research group recently selected ssDNA aptamers that bind to COVID-19 biomarkers; Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N) proteins. Aptamers are highly specific synthetic nucleic acid ligands that are frequently described as “chemical antibodies”, with particularly desirable features relative to antibodies, and have shown great predictions in diagnostic applications. The aim of this study was to develop an aptamer-based detection assay for possible PoC diagnosis of COVID-19. The aptamers were selected using in silico approach and their secondary structures were predicted by RNAfold and RNA composer web servers. The binding interactions and energies of aptamer-biomarker complexes were characterised by molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesised using the Turkevich technique and characterised by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The aptamers were conjugated to AuNPs, and the conjugates were characterised by UVVis spectroscopy. The aptamer-AuNPs conjugate was then used in the preparation of lateral flow (LF) test strips for the detection of N-protein (NP) and S-protein (SP). Three aptamers for each protein were selected and found to be stable with less minimum free energies, potentially high binding affinity (docking score) to their targets, great stability and compactness, with less amino acid residues fluctuating, and this was validated by experimental studies
MIGHTEE: the continuum survey data release 1
No full textThe MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration Surv e y (MIGHTEE) is one of the large surv e y projects using the MeerKAT telescope, co v ering four fields that have a wealth of ancillary data available. We present Data Release 1 of the MIGHTEE continuum surv e y, releasing total intensity images and catalogues o v er ∼20 de g 2 , across three fields at ∼1.2-1.3 GHz. This includes 4.2 de g 2 o v er the Cosmic Evolution Surv e y (COSMOS) field, 14.4 de g 2 o v er the XMM Large-Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) field and deeper imaging o v er 1.5 de g 2 of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS). We release images at both a lower resolution (7-9 arcsec) and higher resolution ( ∼5 arcsec). These images have central rms sensitivities of ∼1 . 3 -2.7 μJy beam -1 ( ∼1 . 2 -3.6 μJy beam -1 ) in the lower (higher) resolution images, respectively. We also release catalogues comprised of ∼144 000 ( ∼114 000) sources using the lower (higher) resolution images. We compare the astrometry and flux-density calibration with the Early Science data in the COSMOS and XMM-LSS fields and previous radio observations in the CDFS field, finding broad agreement. Furthermore, we extend the source counts at the ∼10 μJy level to these larger areas ( ∼20 deg 2 ) and, using the areal co v erage of MIGHTEE we measure the sample variance for differing areas of sky. We find a typical sample variance of 10 -20 per cent for 0.3 and 0.5 de g 2 subre gions at S 1 . 4 ≤200 μJy, which increases at brighter flux densities, given the lower source density and expected higher galaxy bias for these sources
Diaconia and Christian social practice in a global perspective: concluding synthesis of emerging topical issues and themes
No full textTrust in politics and institutions, as well as the upholding of social cohesion, is presently under pressure globally. This has side effects for the work of civil society organizations that take on social challenges. Thus, this seems to be an appropriate time for a special issue focusing on specific civil society organizations, such as faith-based organizations, which devote themselves to addressing the challenges of poverty and social exclusion in many societies. In some contexts, when dealing with the tradition of the Christian faith, such organizations are referred to as “diaconal organizations” within a longstanding tradition. In other contexts, these organizations fall into the category of “Christian social practice” or are recognized as “development actors” (faith-based development organizations) in the still relatively new field of religion and development
Provision of care for children diagnosed with ADHD: Caregiver’s perceptions and decision-making
No full textThe Children's Act 38 of 2005 enforces children's rights as outlined in the Constitution, with a focus on prioritising their best interests. South Africa has diverse family structures, and various individuals within the family may serve as the primary caregivers for children. This essential role ensures that children’s needs are met, especially those with neurodevelopmental disorders. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children's development and well-being in home, school, and social settings. Caring for a child with ADHD requires an intense emotional commitment to their overall well-being, beyond just managing symptoms. This study aimed to investigate caregiver perceptions of ADHD and their decision-making processes regarding the care and management of children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders. A single case study allowed for a thorough examination of their personal experiences, challenges, and decision-making for their child diagnosed with ADHD. This nuanced exploration offered depth and valuable insights into the complexities within real-life contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the recordings were transcribed. Data was analysed using content analysis. All ethical principles were adhered to. Qualitative methodology offered a detailed context in which to understand the data. The caregiver’s specific background, environment, and unique circumstances shed light on how these factors influenced their experiences, providing insight into the caregiving journey. This focused approach led to the identification of themes and patterns that reflected the caregiver's story, culminating in the identification of six primary content categories and thirteen subcategories. These reflect the perceptions and challenges of the index caregiver, emphasising how emotional complexities, knowledge gaps, and systemic barriers compound these issue
Policy implementation and recommendations to address the double burden of malnutrition in South Africa: expert assessment using the expanded Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)
No full textBackground: South Africa faces a double burden of malnutrition (DBM), the coexistence and interaction of multiple forms of malnutrition (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight/obesity) within individuals and households and across the life course. A healthy food environment is necessary to reduce this DBM. The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) can be used to evaluate the implementation of public nutrition and food environment policies in comparison with international best practices. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of implementation of healthy food environment policies in South Africa using an expanded DBM Food-EPI framework, benchmark policies against international best practices, develop priority policy recommendations, and compare implementation progress since the 2016 South African Food-EPI assessment. Methods: From October 2023 to March 2024, a panel of 23 national experts from different tiers of government (Department of Health), academia, and civil society was invited to participate in the Food-EPI assessment. Through two workshops and online feedback, experts evaluated the implementation of food environment policies across 60 indicators, compared these policies to international best practices, and proposed and prioritized a list of policy actions based on perceived implementation gaps. Results: Of the 23 invited experts, 13 participated in the benchmarking workshop in which about 70% of indicators were rated at very low to low levels of implementation. Overall, of the 48 original indicators, the mean level of implementation improved from 2016 to 2024. Of the 12 indicators that addressed the DBM, eight were rated at very low to low levels of implementation. The experts (original panel plus four additional participants) then proposed ten priority actions, mainly across the domains of Food Promotion, Food Prices, Funding, and Platforms for Interaction. Conclusions: Application of the expanded Food-EPI in South Africa showed improvements for the original indicators compared with 2016 and highlights the need for additional policy efforts to improve public nutrition policy and address the DBM
Exploring barriers to social cohesion in rural South African communities: a family-centred qualitative study
No full textIn South Africa, the need to strengthen social cohesion has become increasingly important considering various pressing challenges, particularly within family and community structures. Addressing these issues is crucial for promoting solidarity and inclusion among all South Africans. This study explores the barriers to social cohesion in two rural South African communities using a family-centred approach. It adopts a family centred perspective to develop targeted interventions that support communities, government officials, and policymakers in tackling critical social challenges, including trust deficits, feelings of non-belonging, family instability, and economic disparities across municipalities. The study utilized a qualitative, exploratory design, drawing on data collected from two rural communities in South Africa: Lambert's Bay in the Western Cape and Philippolis in the Free State Province. A total of 19 participants were engaged, comprising 11 parents and 8 community stakeholders. Data collection was conducted through in-depth, face-to-face interviews in participants’ preferred languages to ensure accuracy and comfort. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis approach, supported by Atlas.ti software, to systematically interpret the findings. The results identified seven key themes: family instability and domestic violence, inequality and economic disparity, lack of trust in relationships, racial discrimination, limited access to education and skills development, feelings of non-belonging and substance abuse and violence. These findings underscore the significance of family instability as a central factor in broader social cohesion. It is recommended that interventions adopt a family-centred approach. The study concludes with high-level policy and community intervention recommendations to support these efforts
A global systematic review of resource nexus and nature-positive sustainable development: an invitation to a new research agenda
No full textThe Resource Nexus concept is acknowledged as a transformative approach to managing resource challenges. Yet, its contribution to nature-positive sustainable development (NPSD) practices remains less understood. This study (i) analyses how resource nexus and NPSD practices have been conceptualised in the literature, (ii) determines the state-of-the-art on the NPSD outcomes that are driven by the Resource Nexus approach, and (iii) identifies methodological development in Resource Nexus and NPSD studies. Search queries were conducted in the Scopus core collection, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, resulting in the inclusion of 117 empirical studies. The study reveals that while Resource Nexus offers a broad lens for engaging with these different environmental resources, its integration with NPSD practices remains underexplored. Firstly, the overall dominance of the water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus (28.2%) was reported, followed by the water-energy-food-climate (WEFC) Nexus (24.8%), and the biota-energy-food-climate (BEFC) Nexus (15.4%). Secondly, most papers reported ecological parameters (61.3%) as the significant NPSD outcomes driven by the Resource Nexus, followed by political (48.7%), and economic (44.4%) outcomes. Only 17% of papers reported socio-cultural outcomes. Finally, quantitative approaches were most commonly used in the literature (56.4%), followed by qualitative approaches (33.3%), while the mixed methods approach (10.3%) remained the least frequently used. Our review highlights the urgent need for a new research agenda focused on (i) a diverse Resource Nexus constellation, (ii) transformative coupled citizen science research that develops actionable strategies to complete the Science-policy-practice cycle, and (iii)innovative research methodologies focusing on multi-level and mixed-method approaches while preserving the diverse values of qualitative and quantitative approaches
Enabling scientific discovery in astronomical data with machine learning
No full textThe history of astronomy is defined by observational milestones that have profoundly transformed the understanding of the universe. Galileo’s pioneering use of the telescope allowed for detailed observations of celestial objects, such as the moons of Jupiter, providing empirical support for the then controversial heliocentric model (Galilei, 1610). Later advancements, including the development of space-based observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope (HST, Neal, 1990) and Karl Jansky’s groundbreaking discovery of radio waves from the Milky Way (Jansky, 1933), laid the foundation for modern astronomy. Astronomy has always been a data-driven science, but recent technological advances have brought about unprecedented volumes of data. Large-scale surveys and modern telescopes, such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS, York et al., 2000) and the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS, Dey et al., 2019) already produced terabytes of data. Future facilities will produce an even greater flow of data. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST, Ivezi´c et al., 2019) is projected to capture approximately 20 TB per night. Similarly, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA, Dewdney et al., 2009) is expected to generate up to 700 PB of data annually. In addition, Euclid (Scaramella et al., 2022) has begun delivering data and is expected to contribute significantly to the wealth of astronomical data and aims to map the geometry of the dark Universe with unprecedented accuracy (Tutusaus et al., 2023)
The development of a vocational rehabilitation program to assist individuals with mdrtb and tb in returning to work
No full textBackground: Individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB may struggle to return to work after they have completed a rehabilitation program. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) has been seen as a condition that is resistant to treatment, hence causing individuals to be economically in-active for considerable periods of time. Objective: The aim of the current study was to explore the views of individuals living with MDRTB, individuals with TB, and health professionals treating individuals with TB and MDRTB about the development of a vocational rehabilitation program. Method: The researchers used an exploratory descriptive research design, and semistructured interviews were conducted with five key informants and four participants who were diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and MDRTB. Thematic analysis was used in order to analyse the study findings. The current study is the second of two articles. The first article focused on barriers and facilitators linked to returning to work for individuals living with TB and MDRTB. The current article focuses on the development of a vocational rehabilitation program. Results: The findings of the original study revealed five themes; however, for the purpose of this article, only two themes will be presented, namely, Theme 1: promoting a holistic model and Theme 2: the use of resources for activity engagement. The latter theme contributed to the participant’s view of the development of a vocational rehabilitation program. Conclusion: The study provided a description of the components of a vocational rehabilitation program that has been adapted from the Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy (MOOSE). The above program has been designed for individuals diagnosed with PTB/MDRTB and has the potential to assist them in returning to work. It is suggested that vocational rehabilitation programs be incorporated into general medical programs that focus on improving the functioning of individuals diagnosed with PTB/MDRTB. Copyright © 2025 Mogammad Shaheed Soeker and Ayesha Jainodien. Occupational Therapy Internationa
“Pharma’s secret weapon”: unleashing supply chain potential through supplier relationship management practices
No full textPurpose: The study explored how supplier evaluation, selection, development and segmentation affect supply chain performance in pharmaceutical organizations. It also determined the moderating influence of top management support on the link between supply chain performance and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach: The research philosophy of this study was positivism, leading to the adoption of a quantitative research method. Empirical data were gathered from a significant sample of supply chain experts at leading pharmaceutical companies in South Africa. Data collection scales were derived from existing studies. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings: The results confirmed the validity of the proposed model, which is based on selected criteria (latent variables). This study emphasizes the crucial influence of supplier evaluation, selection, development and segmentation on supply chain performance in pharmaceutical organizations. The research shows a positive correlation between supply chain performance and organizational performance, with top management support playing a moderating role. Originality/value: The study’s originality and value stem from its thorough examination of how supplier relationship management practices affect supply chain performance and organizational performance in the pharmaceutical industry of South Africa. Furthermore, the research adds to the current body of knowledge by considering the moderating influence of top management support on the link between supply chain performance and organizational performance. These findings offer valuable insights for academics and industry professionals in the realm of supply chain management. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited