Euclid preparation: lix. angular power spectra from discrete observations

In this paper we present the framework for measuring angular power spectra in the Euclid mission. The observables in galaxy surveys, such as galaxy clustering and cosmic shear, are not continuous fields, but discrete sets of data, obtained only at the positions of galaxies. We show how to compute the angular power spectra of such discrete data sets, without treating observations as maps of an underlying continuous field that is overlaid with a noise component. This formalism allows us to compute the exact theoretical expectations for our measured spectra, under a number of assumptions that we track explicitly. In particular, we obtain exact expressions for the additive biases ('shot noise') in angular galaxy clustering and cosmic shear. For efficient practical computations, we introduce a spin-weighted spherical convolution with a well-defined convolution theorem, which allows us to apply exact theoretical predictions to finite-resolution maps, including HEALPix. When validating our methodology, we find that our measurements are biased by less than 1% of their statistical uncertainty in simulations of Euclid's first data release

For slow teaching: courageous and compassionate pedagogy in times of change

Slow teaching is a nascent movement forwarded by scholars who seek to imbue their teaching with attentiveness, deliberation, thoughtfulness, and open-ended inquiry. This paper presents findings from a Teaching Advancements at Universities (TAU) Fellowship project in which slow teaching practices were applied within a first year GES111 Introduction to Human Geography at the University of the Western Cape. Focusing on ‘Slow’ teaching not in terms of velocity but rather in terms of measured, deliberate, and reflexive methods, the experiment with slow practices attempted to not leave others behind at the expense of progress. Methodologically, the project was built upon reflective practice from the author as module coordinator and lecturer, a fellow lecturer, graduate lecturing assistant, a team of tutors, and registered GES111 students in 2023. Findings suggest that Slow teaching practices fostered epistemic justice by valuing everyday student knowledge, imagination and practice. This is where courage and compassion on the part of both teaching staff and students together can impact on pedagogy. The study’s findings offer practical insights for the application of Slow teaching practices that foster epistemic access and justice through the valuing of everyday student knowledge, imagination and practice in teaching & learning

Genome-wide characterization of DREB transcription factors in Medicago truncatula: Insights into their roles in development and abiotic stress response

Dehydration-responsive-element binding (DREB) proteins play a crucial role in drought, salt, and environmental stress tolerance. In this study, we identified and annotated fifty-four DREB genes from the Medicago truncatula genome. These genes were analyzed at the molecular level, focusing on gene classification, genomic organization, phylogeny, synteny, structural features, and expression profiles. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that MtDREB proteins are categorized into six subgroups (A1–A6), with highly conserved motif compositions among them. Expression profiling showed that MtDREB genes are differentially expressed in various plant organs and under abiotic stresses (cold, salinity, and dehydration), with 30 % exhibiting high expression during flowering and development. Data from RNA-seq and microarrays demonstrated that 76 % of MtDREB genes are differentially expressed under at least one stress condition, indicating their involvement in various signaling pathways activated by abiotic stresses. Notably, MtDREB05, primarily induced under osmotic stress, appears to be a promising candidate for improving abiotic stress tolerance. These findings will enhance our understanding of the DREB family and aid in functional validation of DREBgenes in M. truncatula and related forage species

The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and alcohol use in first responders: the direct, indirect and moderating role of generalized resistance resources

Raw data for investigating the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and alcohol use, and the role of resilience, jardiness, self-efficacy and self-compassion

Derivatives of pyrazole-based compounds as prospective cancer agents

Five pyrazole-based compounds, 3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole, L1; 3,5-diphenyl-1H-pyrazole, L2; 3-(trifluoromethyl)-5-phenyl-1H-pyrazole, L3; 3-(trifluoromethyl)-5-methyl-1H-pyrazole, L4; and 3,5-ditert-butyl-1H-pyrazole, L5 were synthesized from a typical condensation reaction of β-diketone derivatives with hydrazine hydrate reagent and characterized using various spectroscopic techniques such as FT-IR, UV-vis, 1H and 13C NMR, and LC-MS spectroscopy. L1 was further analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and the N1-N1′ bond distance was found to be 1.361(3) Å and correlated well with other pyrazole-based compounds. The short-term cytotoxicity of 10 μM pyrazole compounds (L1-L5) was evaluated against pancreatic (CFPAC-1 and PANC-1), breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), and cervical (CaSki and HeLa) cancer cell lines using the MTT cell viability assay. Cisplatin and gemcitabine were included as positive control drugs followed by the determination of the half-maximal effective concentrations of prospective compounds. L2 and L3, respectively, displayed moderate cytotoxicity against CFPAC-1 (61.7 ± 4.9 μM) and MCF-7 (81.48 ± 0.89 μM) cell lines

Investigation of organic hydrotrioxide (roooh) formation from ro2 + oh reactions and their atmospheric impact using a chemical transport model, stochem-cri

Incorporating the reactions of fifty peroxy radicals (RO2) with the hydroxyl radical (OH) into the global chemistry transport model, troposphere, affected the composition of the troposphere by changing the global burdens of NOx (−2.7 Gg, −0.5%), O3 (−2.3 Tg, −0.7%), CO (−3.2 Tg, −0.8%), HOx (+2.1 Gg, +7.7%), H2O2 (+0.5 Tg, +18.3%), RO2 (−8.0 Gg, −18.2%), RONO2 (−19.4 Gg, −4.7%), PAN (−0.1 Tg, −3.4%) HNO3 (−7.4 Gg, −1.3%) and ROOH (−96.9 Gg, −3.8%). The RO2 + OH addition reactions have a significant impact on HO2 mixing ratios in tropical regions with up to a 25% increase, resulting in increasing H2O2 mixing ratios by up to 50% over oceans. Globally, a significant amount of organic hydrotrioxides (ROOOH) (86.1 Tg per year) are produced from these reactions with CH3OOOH (67.5 Tg per year, 78%), isoprene-derived ROOOH (5.5 Tg per year, 6%) and monoterpene-derived ROOOH (4.2 Tg per year, 5%) being the most significant contributors. The tropospheric global burden of CH3OOOH is found to be 0.48 Gg. The highest mixing ratios of ROOOH, of up to 0.35 ppt, are found primarily in the oceans near the tropical land areas. The RO2 + OH reactions have a small, but noticeable, contribution to OH reactivity (∼5%) over tropical oceans. Additionally, these reactions have a significant impact on RO2 reactivity over tropical oceans where losses of the CH3O2 radical, isoprene derived peroxy radical (ISOPO2) and monoterpene derived peroxy radical (MONOTERPO2) by OH can contribute up to 25%, 15% and 50% to the total RO2 loss, respectively. The changes in RO2 reactivity influence the global abundances of organic alcohols (ROH) which are important species due to their crucial impact on air quality. The ROOOH generate secondary organic aerosol (SOA) of up to 0.05 μg m−3 which affects the Earth's radiation budget because of enhancing modelled organic aerosol by up to 5% and 2000% on land surfaces and the remote tropical oceans, respectively

Fire

A collection of digitised photographs taken at the University of the Western Cape in Bellville, South Africa, c1992

Feasibility and preliminary findings of a bacterial diversity study in periodontitis: a pilot investigation from the Western Cape

Introduction: Periodontitis is a significant health challenge caused by a complex interaction between bacterial infection, host immune response, and environmental factors, leading to tooth loss, bone loss, and potential associations with major systemic diseases and conditions. While the determinants of periodontitis have been extensively investigated in other populations, such studies are lacking in South Africa, which represents a high-risk population. Therefore, this study was conducted to characterize the subgingival bacterial biodiversity in the periodontal pockets of patients with periodontitis in a Western Cape population. Materials & methods: Pooled subgingival plaque samples were collected from the deepest pocket/crevices of five periodontitis cases and five controls using sterile paper points. Illumina MiSeq paired-end sequencing and QIIME2 software were employed for sequence filtration and analysis. Several alpha and beta-diversity metrics assessed biodiversity within-sample and population structure between different microbiota datasets, respectively. Statistical significance for alpha diversity was tested using the Kruskal–Wallis H test (p < 0.05), and beta diversity differences were evaluated using PERMANOVA. Data visualization, including beta diversity plots, was conducted with the Phyloseq package in R. Results: Beta-diversity measures revealed significant differences between periodontitis cases and controls (p-value = 0.04), whereas alpha-diversity was higher in cases, though without statistical significance (p-value ≥ 0.05). Cases group showed high relative abundance of Fusobacterium (16%), Porphyromonas (10%), and Treponema (9%), while the periodontally healthy controls were dominated by Streptococcus (20%), Fusobacterium (15%), and Veillonella (10%), with g_Streptococcus showing a significant difference (p-value = 0.008). Differential abundance analysis revealed distinct bacterial genera enriched in cases (Bulleidia, Peptoanaerobacter, Phocaeiola, W5053) and controls (Abiotrophia, Haemophilus, Lautropia, Rothia, Streptococcus). Sample-specific variations included higher levels of Porphyromonas (15%) in grade B and Fusobacterium (20%) in grade C. Conclusion: This exploratory study highlights distinct bacterial communities associated with periodontitis in a South African population. The findings emphasize the need for larger, population-based cohorts to validate these results and lay a foundation for future research into region-specific microbial profiles and their implications for personalized treatment strategies

Transition metal phosphides for efficient hydrogen evolution: synthesis, multiscale regulation, and industrial prospects

Achieving scalable green hydrogen generation through water electrolysis hinges on discovering affordable yet highly effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts to replace traditional Pt-based options. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have risen as attractive electrocatalysts, featuring tunable electronic structures, excellent conductivity, and robust stability. This review systematically examines recent advances in TMPs-based HER catalysts, bridging fundamental research and industrial applications. We first elucidate structure-activity relationships and HER mechanisms, then critically evaluate scalable synthesis methods. Multiscale optimization strategies are comprehensively discussed, including atomic-scale engineering, nanostructural design, and hybrid composites, with experimental-theoretical correlations quantifying performance enhancements. Notably, we highlight breakthroughs in achieving industrial current densities (≥500 mA cm−2) while maintaining stability. Key challenges in in-situ characterization, durability, and practical deployment are identified, with targeted solutions proposed to accelerate commercialization. This work provides critical insights for designing next-generation HER electrocatalysts to enable sustainable hydrogen production at scale

Votescapes’: Linguistic landscape and party language policy during the 2019 South African election

This study aims to investigate the use and visibility of languages on election posters through the concept of Linguistic Landscapes (LL). Hence, the following research question was the core of this study: What languages were used during the 2019 national election, and how linguistically inclusive are the election posters? Linguistic Landscapes is not only a purely linguistic phenomenon but rather reflects the reciprocal relationship between Linguistic Landscapes and the surrounding communities, their language usage, and society at large. Data collection took place in three provinces of South Africa: the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and North West, resulting in 218 photographs of election posters. Two provinces with a clear dominance of one African Language and one very multilingual province were chosen. Within those three provinces, a more rural and semi-urban research site in the North West and in the Eastern Cape were selected, and a few residential areas in the metropolitan area of Johannesburg. Political parties differed significantly in their ‘votescape’, their linguistic landscape and their party language policies during their 2019 national election campaigns. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), frequently used African languages and ran an inclusive campaign, considering regional language concentrations despite their vague party language policy. By contrast, another opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), used an exclusively English approach. This was quite surprising, as this party aims to portray itself as ‘grounded’ and can be seen as a nationalist party. Further, their political agenda favours African languages in their party programme. The African National Congress’ (ANC) strategy also included African Languages in their campaign, and those became visible in the ‘Votescape’ the election Linguistic Landscapes on the election posters. Linguistic and cultural hybridity did occur but only appeared on isolated election posters. Overall, most parties mainly used English, and the VF PLUS mainly used Afrikaans. The only party visibility score with a more balanced language distribution was that of the DA. African languages were under-represented, and there were significant geographical differences and between the competing parties. With North West Setswana was very visible on election posters and some isiXhosa was visible on the Votescape in Eastern Cape, but far more different African Languages were visible in the multilingual province of Gauteng