Faculty of Natural Science
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The Faculty of Natural Sciences is developing a reputation as an important centre of research in South Africa. It equips graduates with solid academic and research skills and gives them the ability to succeed in the market place.
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Additional resources are available from the Division For Postgraduate Studies (DPGS).
Research publications are accessible in the Research Repository.
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Discovery of heat shock protein90 inhibitors using structured-based virtual screening
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common irreversible dementia, caused by accumulation of protein aggregates in the central nervous system, with symptoms that include memory loss and behavioural abnormalities. Cholinesterase ... -
A categorical study of persistent homology for closure space
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)We begin with the concept of closure space and show how it relates to other objects like graphs and metric spaces in categorical terms. We also study the notion of simplicial sets and show that there is an adjunction between ... -
Polyphenolic, tannin and chemical compositional changes in leaves of sub-tropical grasses and fynbos shrubs at elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations
(University of the Western Cape, 2002)The effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations on plant polyphenolic concentration, tannin concentration and chemical composition were investigated in leaves of sub-tropical grass species and fynbos shrubs. The ... -
The transition of regulatory services from drug regulatory unit to Botswana medicines regulatory authority: an evaluation of the changes in regulatory services from the industry’s perspective
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)The Drug Regulatory Unit (DRU) was established by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to enforce the Drugs and Related Substances Act of 1992 in line with the Botswana National Drug Policy (BNDP) adopted in 2002 and the National ... -
The roles of intertidal marine gastropod shells as secondary substrate for macroalgae
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)Primary space within the marine benthos is by far the most limited resource for which all sessile organisms must compete. It only ever becomes available when the organisms occupying it dies or are forced to leave the area. ... -
Power studies of multivariate two-sample tests of comparison
(University of the Western Cape, 2007)The multivariate two-sample tests provide a means to test the match between two multivariate distributions. Although many tests exist in the literature, relatively little is known about the relative power of these procedures. ... -
Reptile community responses to an avian ecosystem engineer
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)In the Kalahari, sociable weavers (Philetairus socius) build huge, communal nests. Although Kalahari tree skinks (Trachylepis spilogaster) are known to preferentially use trees that host such colonies, the degree to which ... -
Temporal and spatial variability in copepod abundance, distribution and community structure off Walvis Bay in the northern Benguela Current, 1979-1981
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)The zooplankton samples used for retrospective analysis in this study form part of the historical SWAPELS (South West African Pelagic Egg and Larva Survey) collection from January 1972 to December 1989, which covered the ... -
The reproductive physiology of The south african pilchard.
(UWC, 1995)Epipelagic fish species form an integral component of the world's supply of protein. The most abundant of these fish belong to the order Clupeiformes (clupeoids) which include sardine, pilchard, sardinella, sprat, and ... -
Electrochemical evaluation of chemically Modified microelectrodes
(2001)Aniline and N-alkylated substituted anilines have been polymerized by chemical and electrochemical methods. The chemically synthesized polymers indicated that N-alkylation improves solubility remarkably in common organic ... -
An evaluation of potential management options to Reduce water use in communal gardens on the cape Flats
(UWC, 2011)The aim of this project was to evaluate various potential management options in their ability to reduce the water use of small and medium scale vegetable gardens on the Cape Flats. The water use of these gardens has a ... -
Identification of potential antibiofilm hit compounds from two African natural product database against multi-drug resistant staphylococcus aureus: an in silico study
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)One of the crucial ways by which Staphylococcus aureus develops resistance to antibiotics is biofilm formation, a protective mechanism involving extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix that shields microorganisms ... -
The effect of doxorubicin encapsulated chitosan alginate nanoparticles and curcumin on multidrug resistant colon cancer cell lines
(University of the Western Cape, 2024)Purpose: Although chemotherapeutic drugs have improved the survival rate of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, resistance to chemotherapy frequently leads to therapeutic failure and poor patient outcomes. Multidrug ... -
Mathematical modeling of the population dynamics and optimal control of COVID-19 disease
(2024)Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers speculated that this virus would create numerous challenges in the daily lives of individuals, especially medical and governmental authorities as they are put under ... -
Phylogenetic relationships of the subfamily petropedetinae noble, 1931 (anura: ranidae): a simultaneous analysis of morphological and molecular data
(University of the Western Cape, 2002)The Ranidae is one of the largest families of the Neobatrachia, but its taxonomy is in a state of flux. Major taxonomic rearrangements have recently been instituted for this family, but these have been mostly phenetic in ... -
Structural features of air-processible methyl ammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) perovskite thin films grown on Al-doped ZnO Nanowire Arrays
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)The performance of air stable, mixed halide (MAPbI3-xClx) perovskite based solar cells is highly dependent on the quality and stability of the perovskite thin film, which in turn, is dependent on the substrate on which it ... -
An assessment of river and wetland morphology dynamics using geospatial techniques
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Land surface modification has intensified in recent years, and it continues to be an ongoing process. This raises serious concerns about changes in land use and land cover (LULC) since some of these changes have led to ... -
A framework for the analysis of discrete irregular patterned sequential datasets
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Trial-and-error is often used for developing new deep learning models. There is no systematic procedure for improving existing models for predicting irregular sequential time-series. This research developed a systematic ... -
Investigating genetic diversity and microRNA of Hermetia illucens (the black soldier fly) to breed for mass production of a novel sustainable protein
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Introduction: A new sustainable source of protein is needed to meet the demands of the growing global population. Insect meal is a suitable replacement, and the black soldier fly (BSF) is the most used insect in industrial ... -
Genomic epidemiology of Rift Valley fever in East Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a climate-driven zoonotic disease of significant importance to public and livestock health given its epidemic potential. The disease was first identified in 1930 in the great rift valley region ...