Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Pre-training a Transformer-Based Generative Model Using a Small Sepedi Dataset

Ramalepe, Simon Phetole; Modipa, Thipe I.; Marelie, H. Davel (2025-01-25)

Due to the scarcity of data in low-resourced languages, the development of language models for these languages has been very slow. Currently, pre-trained language models have gained popularity in natural language processing, ...

An Arabidopsis Pentatricopeptide Repeat Is A Moonlighting Protein With Cross-Talking In Vitro Adenylyl Cyclase And Kinase Activities

Dikobe, Tshegofatso; Sehlabane, Katlego; Bobo, Enetia; Sibanda‑Makuvise, Angela; Chatukuta, Patience; Kawadza, David; Ruzvidzo, Oziniel (Springer, 2023)

Downstream signalling involving adenylyl cyclases (ACs) and kinases is a key component of several processes in plants including cell division, growth, and response to stress. ACs are enzymes that generate the second ...

An Arabidopsis Linker Histone-Like Protein Harbours A Domain With Adenylyl Cyclase Activity

Ruzvidzo, Oziniel; Chatukuta, Patience (Springer, 2023)

Adenylyl cyclase (AC) is an enzyme that catalyses the formation of the second messenger molecule, 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) from 5′-adenosine triphosphate (ATP). cAMP, in turn, regulates key physiological ...

Using Confocal Microscopy And Pigment Analyses To Detect Adverse Insecticide Effects In Non-Target Freshwater Diatom Species - A Proof-Of-Concept Using Nitzschia Palea

Kock, Anrich; Pheiffer, Wihan; Wepener, Victor; Smit, Nico J.; Taylor, Jonathan C. (Springer, 2023)

The persistence of insecticides in aquatic environments is a cause of concern and to date hardly any studies have focused on the effects that DDT and deltamethrin have on non-target freshwater diatom communities. The ...

Tuberculosis Is Associated With Sputum Metabolome Variations, Irrespective Of Patient Sex Or Hiv Status: An Untargeted Gcxgc-Tofms Study

Beukes, Derylize; Van Reenen, Mari; Loots, Du Toit; Du Preez, Ilse (Springer, 2023)

Introduction Various studies have identified TB-induced metabolome variations. However, in most of these studies, a large degree of variation exists between individual patients. Objectives To identify differential ...

Machine Learning Research Trends In Africa: A 30 Years Overview With Bibliometric Analysis Review

Ezugwu, Absalom E.; Oyelade, Olaide N.; Ikotun, Abiodun M.; Agushaka, Jefery O.; Ho, Yuh‑Shan (Springer, 2023)

The machine learning (ML) paradigm has gained much popularity today. Its algorithmic models are employed in every feld, such as natural language processing, pattern recognition, object detection, image recognition, earth ...

Impact Of Herbivory By Zerenopsis Lepida (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) On The Endangered Encephalartos Eugene-Maraisii Under Field Conditions

Janse van Rensburg, P. D.; Bezuidenhout, H.; Van den Berg, J. (Springer, 2023)

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii is an endangered, endemic plant in the Waterberg Mountain range of South Africa. This is the first report of herbivory by Zerenopsis lepida (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) on natural populations ...

A Ketogenic Diet Alters Mtor Activity, Systemic Metabolism And Potentially Prevents Collagen Degradation Associated With Chronic Alcohol Consumption In Mice

Willemse, Luciano; Terburgh, Karin; Louw, Roan (Springer, 2023)

Introduction A ketogenic diet (KD), which is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet has been shown to inhibit the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and alter the redox state. Inhibition of the mTOR complex has been ...

Count Regression And Machine Learning Techniques For Zero-Inflated Overdispersed Count Data: Application To Ecological Data

Sidumo, Bonelwa; Sonono, Energy; Takaidza, Isaac (Springer, 2023)

The aim of this study is to investigate the overdispersion problem that is rampant in ecological count data. In order to explore this problem, we consider the most commonly used count regression models: the Poisson, the ...

A Review Of Key Terminology And Definitions Used For Birth Defects Globally

Malherbe, HL; Modell, B; Blencowe, H; Strong, KL (Springer, 2023)

Birth defects, also known as congenital disorders, are a signifcant health issue impacting at least fve million births annually worldwide. For policymakers to mount a relevant healthcare response to care for those afected, ...

Evaluation Of Bayesil For Automated Annotation Of 1 H Nmr Data Using Limited Sample Volumes: Application To African Elephant Serum

De Wet van Zy, Christiaan; Van Reenen, Mari; Osthof, Gernot; Du Preez, Ilse (Springer, 2023)

Introduction Technological advancements enabled the analyses of limited sample volumes on 1 H NMR. Manual spectral profiling of the data is, however, complex, and timely. Objective To evaluate the performance of BAYESIL ...