UPSpace
Institutional Repository
Faculty Research Collections
UP Research Output Collections
Featured
Recent Submissions
Consumer preference and food values : can consumers in Tanzania play part in driving a sustainable food system?
(Frontiers Media, 2025-08) Alphonce, Roselyne; Gong, Yun Yun; Schonfeldt, H.C. (Hettie Carina); Korsten, Lise
This study examines the role of consumers in Tanzania as drivers of sustainable food systems through their food values. Recognizing consumers as key actors in the food value chain, the research aims to identify how their preferences influence the transition toward sustainable consumption. A mixed-method approach was employed, including interviews with six key food system actors, two focus group discussions with 16 consumers, and a survey of 750 consumers from urban and rural towns across three regions in Tanzania. Participants rated the importance of 16 food values such as hygiene, nutrition, taste, and price—using the Best-Worst Scaling method. To determine relative preference, data were then analyzed through count analysis and mixed logit models. Findings indicate that consumers predominantly prioritize food safety and price. Notably, their understanding of safety centers on hygiene and spoilage, issues affecting short-term health, over long-term risks like aflatoxin, pesticide residues, and antimicrobial resistance. These patterns are consistent across consumer groups, though some variation emerges across different shopping contexts. For general food purchases, hygiene, freshness, and safety are emphasized, whereas for specific items like tomatoes and bread, hygiene, price, and naturalness are more prominent. These insights highlight the need for targeted interventions by policymakers, producers, and civil society organization to align consumer values with sustainable practices. Addressing gaps in consumer awareness and preferences can facilitate shifts toward healthier, safer, and more sustainable food systems in Tanzania.
Safety and efficacy of tocilizumab in COVID-19 : a systematic evaluation of adverse effects and therapeutic outcomes
(Elsevier, 2025-10) AlOmeir, Othman; Alhowail, Ahmad H.; Rabbani, Syed Imam; Asdaq, Syed Mohammed Basheeruddin; Gilkaramenthi, Rafiulla; Khan, Abida; Imran, Mohd; Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa
BACKGROUND : While COVID-19 has transitioned from a pandemic to an endemic state, the management of its persistent complications continues to present substantial clinical challenges. Tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for severe COVID-19 management, remains a critical therapeutic intervention. This systematic evaluation provides a comprehensive assessment of tocilizumab's safety and efficacy profile to inform clinical decision-making.
METHODS : The study involved exhaustive search across multiple databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, WoS, BIOSIS) utilizing MeSH terms and Boolean operators to identify relevant studies. Methodological worthiness was rigorously evaluated utilizing the Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool. The statistical analysis of the findings incorporated one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) with 95 % confidence intervals to quantify adverse effects and therapeutic outcomes.
RESULTS : The analysis of nine studies encompassing diverse demographic populations (ages ≥2 years, both sexes) established a clear safety profile for tocilizumab. The treatment demonstrated a statistically important association (P < 0.05) with mild adverse effects (nausea, diarrhea, headache, fatigue; r = 0.62, 95 % CI = 0.59–0.71) and moderate adverse effects (tremors, urinary difficulties, mood changes; r = 0.54, 95 % CI = 0.47–0.60). More concerning were the severe adverse effects, including hepatobiliary dysfunction and hypersensitivity reactions (r = 0.36, 95 % CI = 0.32–0.41), with rare but critical instances of acute liver failure (r = 0.18, 95 % CI = 0.15–0.22). Notably, despite this safety profile, tocilizumab exhibited significant therapeutic efficacy (P < 0.01) in ameliorating COVID-19 symptoms, particularly in cases complicated by cytokine storm syndrome.
CONCLUSION : This study confirms tocilizumab's position as a valuable therapeutic agent for COVID-19 complications while highlighting the necessity for judicious patient selection and vigilant monitoring due to its potential for significant adverse effects. The findings underscore the importance of pre-treatment screening, adherence to contraindications, and ongoing pharmacovigilance to optimize risk-benefit ratios.
Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality threatens the long-term viability of lion populations in Mozambique
(Public Library of Science, 2025-06) Almeida, Joao; Briers-Louw, Willem D.; Jorge, Agostinho; Begg, Colleen; Roodbol, Marnus; Bauer, Hans; Loveridge, Andrew; Wijers, Matthew; Slotow, Rob; Lindsey, Peter Andrew; Everatt, Kristoffer; Rosier, Holly; Nazerali, Sean; Roxburgh, Lizanne; Pereira, Hugo; Da Conceicao, Mercia; Araman, Armindo; Abrao, Osvaldo J.; Leslie, Alison J.; Steinbruch, Franziska; Naude, Vincent N.; Nicholson, Samantha K.
Anthropogenic mortality is a pervasive threat to global biodiversity. African lions (Panthera leo) are particularly vulnerable to these threats due to their wide-ranging behaviour and substantial energetic requirements, which typically conflict with human activities, often resulting in population declines and even extirpations. Mozambique supports the 7th largest lion population in Africa, which is recovering from decades of warfare, while ongoing conflicts and broad-scale socio-economic fragility continue to threaten these populations. Moreover, there are concerns that Mozambique represents a regional hotspot for targeted poaching of lions which fuels a transnational illegal wildlife trade. This study aimed to quantify the longitudinal impact of anthropogenic mortality on lion populations in Mozambique. Using national population estimates and monitoring records, we performed forward simulation population viability modelling incorporating detection-dependent population trends and varying scales of anthropogenic mortality. Between 2010–2023, 326 incidents of anthropogenic mortality involving 426 lions were recorded. Bushmeat bycatch and targeted poaching for body parts were the greatest proximate causes of lion mortality (i.e., 53% of incidents), increasing significantly over time and acting as cryptic suppressors of regional population recovery, followed by legal trophy hunting (i.e., 33%), and retaliatory killing (i.e., 13%). Our findings suggest that resilience to anthropogenic threats is largely a function of lion population size as well as resource and management capacity. For instance, projections suggest that the lion population in Niassa Special Reserve will likely remain stable despite comparatively high levels of anthropogenic mortality, although further escalation may precipitate decline. Conversely, the lion population in Limpopo National Park is projected to become extirpated by 2030 without the buffering effect of its neighbouring source population in Kruger National Park. These unsustainable levels of anthropogenic mortality threaten the long-term viability of lion populations in Mozambique, requiring urgent national-level action and public-private partnerships to support site security, monitoring, and policy enforcement.
Gene expression divergence following gene and genome duplications in spatially resolved plant transcriptomes
(Oxford University Press, 2025-10) Almeida-Silva, Fabricio; Van de Peer, Yves
Gene and genome duplications expand genetic repertoires and facilitate functional innovation. Segmental or whole-genome duplications generate duplicates with similar and somewhat redundant expression profiles across multiple tissues, while other modes of duplication create genes that show increased divergence, leading to functional innovations. How duplicates diverge in expression across cell types in a single tissue remains elusive. Here, we used high-resolution spatial transcriptomic data from Arabidopsis thaliana, Glycine max, Phalaenopsis aphrodite, Zea mays, and Hordeum vulgare to investigate the evolution of gene expression following gene duplication. We found that genes originating from segmental or whole-genome duplications display increased expression levels, expression breadths, spatial variability, and number of co-expression partners. Duplication mechanisms that preserve cis-regulatory landscapes typically generate paralogs with more preserved expression profiles, but such differences generated by mode of duplication fade or disappear over time. Paralogs originating from large-scale (including whole-genome) duplications display redundant or overlapping expression profiles, indicating functional redundancy or sub-functionalization, while most small-scale duplicates diverge asymmetrically, consistent with neofunctionalization. Expression divergence also depends on gene functions, with dosage-sensitive genes displaying highly preserved expression profiles and genes involved in more specialized processes diverging more rapidly. Our findings offer a spatially resolved view of expression divergence following duplication, elucidating the tempo and mode of gene expression evolution, and helping understand how gene and genome duplications shape cell identities.
From resistance to readiness : driving blue-collar workers’ artificial intelligence adoption
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2025-09) Kruger, Sean
Although artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies offer opportunities to improve efficiency and streamline government services, skepticism and job displacement concerns remain prevalent among frontline workers. Drawing on a survey of 205 respondents in quarter four of 2024, this study examines the factors driving AI resistance, the role of policy interventions, and the strategies available to bridge the digital gap for inclusive AI adoption in government in Africa. The findings show that blue-collar government employees have moderate awareness of AI’s potential but strong resistance, driven by fears of redundancy, low AI literacy, and limited upskilling opportunities. Older workers appear more resistant, while younger employees seem more open to adoption. Although employees recognized AI’s ability to improve service delivery, they opposed automation of routine tasks and criticized theoretical, nonpractical training. The study recommends structured AI literacy and hands-on training programs, alongside a centralized governance framework to ensure ethical, context-sensitive adoption.