An audit of completeness of Road to Health Booklet at a community health centre in South Africa.

Background:  For continuity and quality of care, accurate record-keeping is crucial. Complete care is facilitated by completing a child's Road to Health Booklet (RTHB) as well as prompt interpretation and appropriate action. This could result in a decrease in child morbidity and mortality.

Water quality assessment of rooftop harvested rainwater across different roof types in a semi-arid region of South Africa.

Uneven distribution of precipitation and climate change have led to water shortages, adversely impacting numerous countries worldwide. Rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH) has emerged as a crucial method for providing water for domestic uses. However, there are concerns about the quality of rainwater collected from roofs, as it may be contaminated with pollutants such as metals and microbiological pathogens.

A dataset of Antarctic ecosystems in ice-free lands: classification, descriptions, and maps.

Antarctica, Earth's least understood and most remote continent, is threatened by human disturbances and climate-related changes, underscoring the imperative for biodiversity inventories to inform conservation. Antarctic ecosystems support unique species and genetic diversity, deliver essential ecosystem services and contribute to planetary stability. We present Antarctica's first comprehensive ecosystem classification and map of ice-free lands, which host most of the continent's biodiversity.

Empowering African Expertise: Enhancing Safety Data Integration and Signal Detection for COVID-19 Vaccines Through the African Union Smart Safety Surveillance Joint Signal Management Group.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated new vaccine development. Limited safety data necessitated robust global safety surveillance to accurately identify and promptly communicate potential safety issues. The African Union Smart Safety Surveillance (AU-3S) program established the Joint Signal Management (JSM) group to support identification of potential vaccine safety concerns in five pilot countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa), accounting for approximately 35% of the African population.

Regional and institutional trends in assessment for academic promotion.

The assessment of research performance is widely seen as a vital tool in upholding the highest standards of quality, with selection and competition believed to drive progress. Academic institutions need to take critical decisions on hiring and promotion, while facing external pressure by also being subject to research assessment. Here we present an outlook on research assessment for career progression with specific focus on promotion to full professorship, based on 314 policies from 190 academic institutions and 218 policies from 58 government agencies, covering 32 countries in the Global North and 89 countries in the Global South.

Understanding the influence of stratification for mine water management: a comparative study.

Managing mine water in the best possible way is of great importance and depends on various factors like environmental protection, regulatory compliance and human health. To understand the complex chemical and hydrodynamic processes within the mine pool, it is critical to establish effective practices and management strategies. This study focuses on the characterisation of hydrodynamic processes affecting flooded underground mines, emphasising the importance of density stratification.

Geometric description of a gliding grey-headed albatross () for computer-aided design.

Albatrosses are increasingly drawing attention from the scientific community due to their remarkable flight capabilities. Recent studies suggest that grey-headed albatrosses may be the fastest and most energy-efficient of the albatross species, yet no attempts have been made to replicate their wing design. A key factor in aircraft design is the airfoil, which remains uncharacterized for the grey-headed albatross.

Harnessing Big Heterogeneous Data to Evaluate the Potential Impact of HIV Responses Among Key Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for the Boloka Data Repository Initiative.

Background: In South Africa, there is no centralized HIV surveillance system where key populations (KPs) data, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, female sex workers, transgender persons, people who use drugs, and incarcerated persons, are stored in South Africa despite being on higher risk of HIV acquisition and transmission than the general population. Data on KPs are being collected on a smaller scale by numerous stakeholders and managed in silos. There exists an opportunity to harness a variety of data, such as empirical, contextual, observational, and programmatic data, for evaluating the potential impact of HIV responses among KPs in South Africa.

Documentation of ethnoveterinary knowledge and alternative practices for cattle tick control in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Introduction: The integration of traditional plant-based methods for controlling ectoparasites in the primary healthcare of livestock is progressively emerging as a crucial intervention to enhance livestock productivity in regions with limited resources, particularly in smallholder farming areas facing resource constraints. In Sekhukhune District, where livestock plays a vital role in rural livelihoods, cattle ticks present a significant challenge to cattle farming. This study aimed to document the ethnoveterinary practices employed by local communities to control cattle ticks, highlighting the use of alternative methods rooted in indigenous knowledge (IK).

The epidemiology of malaria in four districts in southern Mozambique receiving indoor residual spray as part of a cross-border initiative.

Background: Imported malaria from southern Mozambique drives low levels of disease transmission in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Therefore, the South African Department of Health funded implementation of indoor residual spraying (IRS) in Mozambiquan districts identified as sources of malaria infection for border communities in KwaZulu-Natal. IRS was initiated in districts of Guija, Inharrime, Panda and Zavala.

Interactive and unimodal relationships between plant biomass, abiotic factors, and plant diversity in global grasslands.

Grasslands cover approximately a third of the Earth's land surface and account for about a third of terrestrial carbon storage. Yet, we lack strong predictive models of grassland plant biomass, the primary source of carbon in grasslands. This lack of predictive ability may arise from the assumption of linear relationships between plant biomass and the environment and an underestimation of interactions of environmental variables.

The development of the profession and education of Prosthetics and Orthotics in South Africa.

The history of a profession is valuable literature as it recognizes the noteworthy contributions of its forerunners and the scientific evolution from its earliest state. The purpose of this paper is to recount the historical developments in the profession of Prosthetics and Orthotics (P & O) in South Africa. An electronic literature search identified 54 Sabinet and 17,400 Google Scholar records.

Can a Cochlear Implant Be Used as an Electrical Impedance Tomography Device?

The imaging of the live cochlea is a challenging task. Regardless of the quality of images obtained from modern clinical imaging techniques, the internal structures of the cochlea mainly remain obscured. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a safe, low-cost alternative medical imaging technique with applications in various clinical scenarios.

Endophytic species from Brazil.

species can inhabit various hosts with different lifestyles and live as endophytes, pathogens, and saprobes. Our study analysed 180 endophytic isolates from sp. in the Atlantic Forest, in the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado), and in the Caatinga forest and Cerrado in Brazil.

The Genera of Fungi - G7: .

The current paper represents the seventh contribution in the Genera of Fungi series, linking type species of fungal genera to their morphology and DNA sequence data. This manuscript focuses on a genus of dematiaceous hyphomycetes, Two species of this genus are treated in this study. , the type species of the genus, as well as are epitypified and provided with DNA sequence data to resolve their phylogeny as members of (, ).

A phylogenetic assessment of in (, ): introduction of new genera, and the resurrection of .

During entomopathogenic fungal surveys conducted in Thailand, 15 specimens tentatively classified under were identified. To gain a comprehensive understanding of their taxonomy, molecular phylogenies using combined LSU, , , and sequence data, together with morphological examination of several spp. from previous studies were conducted.

Meristematic and meristematic-like fungi in .

Meristematic fungi are mainly defined as having aggregates of thick-walled, melanised cells enlarging and reproducing by isodiametric division. black meristematic and meristematic-like fungi have been allied to , which currently has two accepted families, and , with fungi mainly regarded as pathogens, parasites, saprobes and epiphytes of different plant species. This study aimed to verify the phylogenetic position using four nuclear markers (SSU, LSU, ITS and ) of the genera associated with , namely , , and , and the new genus, .

Uncovering cryptic species diversity of () associated with from Thailand.

This study advances our understanding of , an extensively studied entomopathogenic fungus within the , particularly in Thailand. We introduce seven novel species associated with - , , , , , , and . Remarkably, , , and exhibit ascomata on the subterminal region of the stromata, with the asexual form appearing at the apex of the stipe, reminiscent of .

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1697-1780.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: , from accumulated snow sediment sample. , on leaf spots of . , on submerged decaying wood in sea water, on , as endophyte from healthy leaves of .